Beautiful Liar
by APurpleAvacado
Summary: When a mission goes wrong Kiba must pay the price, he had always said lying and being lied to were always two different things, but how will he feel when his own words turn against him? Team 8 has taken a real beating. Yaoi. Rape. Mpreg
1. Mission

Authors note: Okay…heh…this is my first M, please don't kill me if it's…not good, flame me if you want, but helpful criticism is good too.

Disclaimer: I don't Naruto…I own this…not Naruto…never Naruto…

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter one: Mission.

Crouching upon a tree branch, three chuunin surveyed the forest of Konoha, they had been set a mission to find and detain the few bandit-Nins who had been causing trouble lately. They had been coming in and out of Konoha stealing and generally causing trouble. It wasn't until they had attempted to steal the scroll of sealing that they had decided it was about time they sent the best trackers around to find them.

Sniffing the air around him, the first chuunin sighed, looking down at the ground to see a large, white ball of fluff. Akamaru was pouting; he got like this every time they stayed in one place far too long, or didn't find what they were looking for.

The second chuunin glanced at the first with milky-blue eyes. Her Byakugan was either failing her or she had completely lost sight of the bandit-nins. No, she had definitely lost sight of them, she couldn't go blind; she wasn't experiencing any sight problems anyway.

With eyes roaming around the shrubs of the forest floor the third chuunin tilted his head slightly upward, simply knowing that the bandits would be no where near this particular tree, or any other within his sight range. His Kikaichuu had informed him that they could not find who their master was looking for and he allowed them entry into their home.

"I-I…can't s-see them…Shino-kun" The second mumbled.

"Don't worry too much, okay Hinata?" The first chimed in, a grin playing across his canine-like features.

"I assume you cannot smell them, Kiba?" Shino asked, he watched silently as Kiba shook his head, no. Shino stood with his hands in the overly-large pockets of his hooded jacket.

"I can't smell them…and I don't like it" Kiba added running a hand through his mop of brown hair, growling. Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Then we should continue the search, come on" Shino stated at which he began to jump from tree to tree. Hinata's shoulder length hair weaved haphazardly as she activated her Byakugan once again. Kiba Whistled, startling Akamaru from his bored state, and he followed from the ground dutifully.

Trees and leaves were hazy in their view as they focused only on what was in front of them, no new smells, no new sights, no new news. It was as if the bandit-nins had vanished off the face of the earth. That didn't sit well with any of the Chuunins, how could a bunch of trouble makers disappear into…nothing? Kiba let out a low growl as his eyes wondered to Akamaru, who in turn looked up and whined quietly.

They had kept going for a good few minutes before stopping, still no sign of them…Hinata looked worried, she clearly didn't like not finding anything, it had never happened before, was something truly wrong with her? Shino on the other hand, tried to look as indifferent as possible, which wasn't hard, most of his face was covered, save for his nose and cheeks. Shino seemed to be toeing the ground in annoyance.

Kiba's eyes wondered examining his team, he shook his head and sniffed the air slightly, he was beyond annoyed now; usually this type of thing took less then two hours. But it had nearly been _five_. It had nearly been _five hours_. He wanted to go home, Akamaru _wanted _to go home.

Shino's head turned to Akamaru as he saw his ears perk up slightly out of the corner of his eye. "Aka-" he began.

"We smell them" Kiba cut in, a pleased grin played across his face. Hinata nodded activating her Byakugan once again; it took her only a few moments to find who she was looking for.

"Th-there" she pointed to the north timidly.

"How close?" Shino enquired.

"A-A mile…"

Kiba laughed gleefully and jumped into the tree above him "Hurry up! Let's go!" he shouted "I _need_ to go home!" with that said he began his pursuit with the rest of the team following closely behind they soon came upon a clearing.

Shino scanned the area briefly before turning to his team mates, saying nothing. Kiba sniffed and let slip an arrogant smirk. Hinata pointed over to the other side of the clearing "i-in there…they're close, just t-two of them"

"This'll be easy, right Akamaru?" Kiba's smirk grew wider, if possible when Akamaru barked happily in agreement. Shino turned to the forest summoning two Kikai from under his skin, and sending them off, from underneath his high-collared shirt, Shino allowed himself a tiny, almost non-existent smirk.

They were soon tracking the rest of the way there; their battle was soon, they could go home _soon. _Kiba, Shino, and Hinata panted slightly as they pressed themselves against the nearest trees they could find. They could hear voices; the bandit-nin clearly hadn't noticed them yet. Shino's eyes narrowed.

'_Why aren't they masking their chakra... ?' _Shino thought as he sent waves of Kikai from his skin to seek out the two females he had sent out only a few minutes ago. Shino nodded to Kiba and Hinata.

Hinata took that as her cue, taking a few Shuriken from her leg holster. Whilst she did that Kiba moved swiftly and stealthily towards the target. Hinata throw the Shuriken through the air, aiming for critical hits, unfortunately one of the pair had noticed the oncoming weaponry and bought his arm up to cover his chest. The other jumped out of the way, only receiving a minor graze to the leg.

Kiba jumped from the trees with the same arrogant grin plastered onto his face. He lashed out at the brown haired enemy who was still on his feet with a Shuriken embedded into his blooded arm. A hand can up, with all the intention of knocking the enemy out, however was stopped when the enemy's fist connected with his jaw. Kiba growled and bought his hands together to form a seal "_Shikyaku no Jutsu_" Kiba lent on all four's, his fingernails grew longer and sharper, as did his teeth, his eye's narrowed with killing intent. He lunged forward and took a jumping start into the air from Akamaru's back, the bandit jumped through the air, a kunai in hand. The enemy's hand was soon caught in Kiba's own, keeping the blade at bay. The other soon came up, fisted. This one was caught as they fell to the ground, the enemies hands were being slowly but surely crushed, Kiba's strong nails digging into his skin.

Having joined the battle after throwing the shuriken Hinata activated her Byakugan and stood in a battle stance, her legs apart, one behind the other and her arms in much the same position, standing almost sideways on. The ginger haired bandit-nin smirked down at her with malice shining in his brown eyes. So, he had the pleasure of fighting a Hyuuga? _Good._ "So, which branch are you, little lady?" the bandit asked pulling a Shuriken from his holster. Hinata's eyes narrowed, just the slightest bit "What, cat got your tongue?" he chuckled evilly and lunged forward throwing the shuriken as he went. Hinata side-stepped easily and flung her back hand forward, it connected to the centre of the bandit's chest area; she blinked slightly surprised when she noticed a kunai only inches from her neck. The ginger attacker jumped back and landing none too gracefully a few feet away, coughing up blood. He glared at her, standing on wobbly legs '_that wasn't a direct hit…what are they up to?'_ the bandit mused before going in for another attack.

Kiba backed up wiping blood from his cheek where the enemy's kunai had been thrust. He scowled and yelled out angrily "Damn it! Just die and let me go home!" Kiba throw a well-aimed punch at the brown-haired bandit whose green eye's shone with amusement, his fist collided with the enemy's nose and a loud sickening crack could be heard, Kiba took the opportunity to call Akamaru towards him and balance himself upon Akamaru's back "_Giiyuu Nipou Jyuujin Bunshin_" it was then that Akamaru had begun to transform into an exact copy of a Feral Kiba, sharp fangs and all, blue chakra flew, unseen from Kiba's own body. Silently. Observing from above, Shino watched for the right moment as Akamaru head-butted the brown-haired enemy to the forest floor. From the looks of things Kiba had had to use both Shikyaku no Jutsu – the four-legged technique, and Giiyuu Nipou Jyuujin Bunshin – the half-beast clone technique; as it appeared these guys weren't going down easy.

Shino slowly entered the battle field, avoiding the few Kunai that came his way with ease. He decided that Hinata was in need of help when she was kicked to the ground, panting heavily, blood oozing from a deep wound on her right arm. Rushing in, with his own kunai in hand, he made to stab the enemy in the gut when he was blocked; the enemy smirked as he faced Shino "Didn't see you there" then enemies brown eye's flashed with malice.

"I did not intend you to" Shino replied coolly, at that the bandit scowled and thrust his kunai forward grazing the sleeve of Shino's hooded coat. Soon there was a terror filed scream, the bandit turned to see his friend covered in small, black bugs "w-what…?"

"My Kikai are chakra-eating bugs, you were marked by a female kikai even before the battle began" Shino began jumping backwards "you could never win" Shino sighed "Don't worry neither of you will die, it wasn't in the mission statement".

All three chuunin watched as the second bandit screamed, he had turned to see a see of small back insects, he jumped back thinking he'd be able to avoid the bugs, with the distraction in place, Shino put his arms out, streams of kikaichuu flew from beneath his skin, flying around the palms of his hands devouring the offered chakra, whilst a few opted for a more reclusive supply and crawled around his face, Shino sent them forwards in a wave a black, the bandit turned suddenly upon hearing a loud buzzing noise he finally noticed the wave of insects crawling up his legs "No! No! Please no!" no such luck, the bandits chakra was taken in a matter of seconds and soon enough, both enemies were unconscious; nearly all of their chakra had been devoured. Kiba huffed loudly and folded his arms over his chest.

"You know, I could have taken him, Shino" Kiba pouted; Shino nodded and looked over at the bandits.

"Yes, but it would have been a waste of chakra" Shino reasoned, Kiba's attacks, as strong as they were easily tired him of his resources.

"S-Shino-kun is right…Kiba-kun" Hinata stated quietly, trying to regain her breath. Kiba sighed and patted Akamaru mumbling praises, before looking up with a smirk.

"Right, yeah I get it, let's just go ho-"

There was a laugh from the trees, Kiba looked up with a scowl on his face, Hinata looked shocked and Shino – as indifferent as ever behind his high-collared shirt "I see you beat them…good, I like how my game is going…" the green hair of the male smirking in the trees swayed slightly in the wind "But I did like Deidu and Deija…" he pouted mockingly.

"You like to lose?!" Kiba shouted, obviously irritated at not being able to go home yet. Crimson eyes blinked as the male looked slightly perplexed for a moment.

"The game isn't over yet" he smirked "let me introduce myself, my name is Deida, and I believe it's you're turn to fight the Knight on this chess board" he pointed at Kiba "So come on, then we'll see who's lost the game"

Kiba smirked "this game was over before it even started" Hinata jumped up.

"Kiba-kun! You c-can't – we have to f-finish the mission"

Kiba nodded, eyes always on this…Deida person "I am finishing the mission, Hinata, you and Shino stay here, guard them, don't make 'em think it's okay to get up and go" Hinata looked to the ground and gave a reluctant nod, at which Kiba smirked and chased Deida through the tree of Konoha. Shino sighed.

'_You are far too impatient…be careful Kiba-san'  
_

**(A/N: Okay, you can all tell me how bad the fight scene was, trust me I know. I wrote it. Please give me tips on how to improve it, because I will, definitely, go back and rewrite it, oh and is anyone a little OOC? Please tell me! R&R Thank you for reading)**


	2. Symptoms of Woe

Authors note: Before you say, and/or do anything, I want to point out that this is my first M and if the future scenes are really, _really_ bad then please…don't hurt me! **I warn thee now of fowl language.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto if I did I would have made the Third do a funny jig.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter two: Symptoms of woe.

Jumping from tree to tree Kiba followed a few branches behind the ever-irking Deida. Smiling Daida turned to glance at Kiba and winked ever so seductively, this only appeared to cause Kiba's scowl to deepen and Daida let out an evil chuckle. Surprisingly, Kiba didn't seem fazed by the laugh, just the…wink… '_What the hell…?'_ Speeding up he noticed the...Deida guy, jump higher up into the tree's around him.

On reflex, Kiba speed up just a little bit more and sniff the air, his eyes widened, he sniffed again '_no way…'_ Akamaru whined from the ground below him as he matched the pace of his master '…_he…masked his scent? Shit, he's stronger then I thought…'_ Kiba growled as he landed steadily back on the ground. Akamaru sniffed relentlessly by his side '_where did he go…if he can cover his chakra and scent so well…I'll have to wait for him to find me…' _Kiba glared at the ground angrily '_because I can't find him…'_Suddenly Akamaru yelped and Kiba's eyes widened at the strong burst of chakra that blew them both back, Kiba felt a shoot of pain run down his entire being as he hit the rough bark of a nearby tree with an unforgiving force '_shit…' _was his only thought. Akamaru flew further back hitting the ground harshly and tumbling towards a bush, quite a way away from Kiba and the stupidly positioned tree, Akamaru let out a pained whine…his front ankle had bent awkwardly through the explosion.

Feeling blood running from the deep gash on the back of his head, Kiba made to stand, only to find that he couldn't, he really couldn't. To top it off, his vision seemed to blur, Kiba's breathe seemed to quicken as he entered a mild state of panic '_if this happened to me…Akamaru!'_ from somewhere to the left of him, he felt two powerful bursts of chakra…two remarkably similar bursts of chakra, he heard a laugh "That was good, yeah?" The first asked, his voice was deep but soft, very contradicting…

"You are pleased then?" he heard him…Deida.

He heard it again, that deep, melodic laughter, of course with a deadly tinge to it "of course, yeah. But I don't get why he went down so easy…" the crunching of leaves could be heard, someone was making their way over to him. Kiba's eyes shifted to see a green-clad man and a green head to match, Deida.

Kiba's arm twitched as Deida cupped his chin roughly in his hand moving his head from side to side, examining him with an unseen smirk "it appears he can't move, not on his own" he laughed lightly, as if someone had told him a mildly interesting story.

Grinning only a few paces away, Kiba heard it, the explanation as to what the _hell _was going on "Really! My new clay Bombs Paralyzed him?!" from in front of him, Deida snorted in amusement, and confirmation "Wow! Sasori-san will be interested to hear about this, yeah!" yet again the crunching of dead leaves could be heard "To think it was only supposed to blind him…bonus side-effect, yeah"

"Quite…" Deida muttered "perhaps it only works within a certain perimeter of the bomb…the bird you tested it on didn't get paralysed, it was about a mile or so away…"

From beside him, Kiba noticed a blurry shock of blond hair, clad in black with random red splotches here and there…weird dude "Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?" said weird dude spoke holding up two…no three… Fingers…?

'_Shit I can't see a thing'_ Kiba thought frantically, unconsciously grunting in discomfort and pain, the blood from his wound was lowly but surely matting itself in his hair, his other cuts and gashes staining his cloths to leaking onto his skin to the forest floor.

"Good enough for me, he's blind, yeah" the blonde spoke with a hint of glee in his voice.

Snorting Deida spoke "yeah, well, you might want to finish him before the symptoms wear off…" Deida sighed "I'll leave you too it Danna" with that Deida stood waltzing away and…melted…it looked like he melted…into a…brown clump… Kiba blinked in confusion, trying feebly to clear his vision; perhaps Deida specialised in earth type jutsu.

Quickened breaths seemed to speed on, if that were possible, Kiba panicked. He needed to calm down, he needed to focus, and that's exactly what Kiba did. He sucked in a breath and latched his sharp canine teeth to his lower lip, and biting down on it harshly, blood now spilled from his split lips. Okay he was done; he could focus now… the blonde chuckled beside him in amusement.

"Deida-san left you in my care" he sighed mockingly, plopping himself lazily on the ground next to Kiba, he laughed again, this time, evilly "What to do…" he mused with an unseen smirked "What to do…with my little trapped mouse" he ran his hand down Kiba's clothed chest teasingly. He felt it, his mouse's breath hitched. He laughed again "Oh, I know…yeah…" Kiba was pushed violently against the tree, aggravating the wound on Kiba's head further, Kiba hissed. The blonde chuckled, unbuttoning Kiba's figure-fitting jacket hastily. It didn't register in Kiba's mind that he was missing a layer until he was being straddled by the blond '_oh no…oh Kami-sama! No!' _Kiba's arm's twitched in a fruitless effort to get the blond off him. Said blond frowned slightly, moving to the crook of Kiba's neck and biting down upon the tender flesh "Oh, don't be like that, yeah" at that the blond sucked on the skin roughly, uncaring to the teen receiving the harsh treatment "You can call me Danna if you want, yeah".

Kiba grunted…whimpered, in reply, he eyes widened when he felt 'Master's'…uuhh…manhood harden against his own which only caused Kiba to whimper more, the weight on Kiba's lap shifted and he was thrown to the floor mercilessly and grazed his cheek on the ground. He felt his trousers being tugged roughly off his waist and past his feet, probably to be thrown in a random place somewhere on the forest floor. From behind the pair, Akamaru whimpered, he could smell the lust on the blond, come to think of it… '_He smells like clay…and peaches…'_ Kiba thought through his panic "d-don't worry…Akamaru…" he barely managed to mutter.

"Trust an Inuzuka to be worried about his mutt in a situation like this, yeah" from behind him, Kiba heard the shuffling of cloth '_so he knows my clan…' _suddenly Kiba was seized by the waist and his leg's parted, then, pain. 'Master' pushed deep inside of him and Kiba let out the loudest agonised cry he could manage in his weakened state, which was pretty loud.

* * *

Gasping, Hinata jumped up in shock as the cry carried itself through the forest, he eyes wondered from the unconscious criminals to Shino, the ever-stoic Shino and then to the forest, in the direction Kiba had taken at least thirty minutes ago "Kiba found the enemy" Shino stated, noticing the worry in his friend's pale lavender eyes.

"D-Do you think he'll be o-okay, S-Shino-kun…" Hinata asked; he eyes fixed on the forest worriedly.

"Yes" was the simple statement that followed, effectively, calming Hinata slightly.

* * *

Tear's feel freely from Kiba's slitted eyes, it was all he could do to stop himself from sobbing openly as pain rang through his body with every harsh thrust of 'Master'. 'Master' himself never prepared Kiba for entrance nor did he give him time to adjust when he did. He laughed cruelly when he noticed the pain in the Inuzuka's eyes "let's make art, yeah" Danna whispered huskily in his ear; Kiba something being opened and the metallic song of metal as it was bought from its holster.

Smirking, Danna lifted Kiba's mesh shirt up over his head and left it at his elbows. He bought the Kunai down to the flesh of Kiba's shoulder blade, all the while still inside Kiba, for pains sake. The Kunai met flesh which provoked a violent twitch, Danna laughed harshly and he began to drag the kunai against the skin of his victim. Kiba whimpered in pain when he realised he was bringing pleasure to his attacker. Every pained sound, every twitch, was making him harder, and harder. The Kunai left his skin, but the pain lingered, he let out an agonized groan as the Kunai was pressed deeply into his back, and as 'Master' began to thrust again, fuelled by Kiba's pain. Danna bent down to lick the blood from Kiba's fresh wound's he was proud of his work and he was sure that the Inuzuka would understand the message. It was simple enough.

'Master' panted and smirked as he realized the Inuzuka was moaning, he didn't care if they were pained, the boy was doing it, after all the boy was a shaking ball of nerves right now. He probably didn't even realize it, how could he?. He thrust harshly a few more times before he felt himself release into the teen. He thrust in a few more times before pulling out harshly. He flipped Kiba over onto his back and pulled out another Kunai and plunged forward, pressing it deep inside Kiba's stomach "You're a masterpiece, yeah" he laughed evilly and walked away from the still blind and paralysed Kiba.

* * *

Hinata paced back and forth, it had almost been an hour since Kiba left, he should've been back by now, but he could handle himself, perhaps this Deida guy was stronger then they thought.

Shino sat with his legs crossed and eyes closed, he had decided that it would be good to put in some chakra training while he waited, he wasn't usually one to sit back and relax whilst a friend…Kiba…was out there with the enemy, it was unsettling for him. It made him wonder why he hadn't placed a Kikai on him before he left. That way he wouldn't have to worry so much. He tried had to block out Hinata's frantic footfalls and her worried gaze.

After a few more moments of tense silence Hinata took the opportunity to check on their prisoners, neither had woken up. She walked a little bit closer and froze when she got a good view of their faces '_wh-what the…'_ she gasped "Shino-kun! L-look!"

Frowning slightly Shino opened his eyes and stood up noticing the urgency in his friend's voice. He wondered over, and tensed slightly, the pair of bandit-nin '_their faces…are melting' _upon closer inspection Shino noticed not only their faces weren't the only things melting; but their entire body seemed to be melting into a large, brown clump of… Shino knelt down and scooped some of the substance up with his finger. He frowned rubbing it into his index finger and thumb '_clay…' _Shino shot up "Kiba's in danger!"

Hinata's eyes widened as she followed Shino in the direction Kiba left in earlier that day, she immediately activated her Byakugan and followed closely beside Shino. They panted tiredly, it's had been a long day, and it would be an even longer one if they didn't find Kiba soon. Shino glanced at Hinata; her eyes were glazed over with Worry and guilt. He understood that, he felt the exact same thing as they sped onwards.

For an agonizing twenty minutes they searched. It wasn't until they heard a familiar whimper that they turned their head's towards the ground. Hinata had been so worried that even with her Byakugan she did not notice them. They landed on the ground a few feet away from them; Kiba was tugging on his jacket with difficulty, blinking incessantly and shaking his head slowly. He looked up, panting heavily "…Sh-Shino…it's…taken c-care of…" he mumbled. Stumbling forwards a few steps.

"Kiba…you need medical attention" Shino spoke sternly.

Kiba blinks a few times "I'm…f-fine…S-Shino…"the last thing he saw was Shino's hands shoot from his pockets as the ground came closer into his blurry view. Shino blinked a few times and Hinata simply looked between the two, the worry and guilt in her eyes seemed to magnify ten-fold. The sound of Akamaru's pained whine bought them both back from their thoughts.

Shino shook his head "We need to get them to the infirmary" he stated plainly carrying the unconscious Inuzuka bridal style, Akamaru barked in agreement and Hinata nodded. It wasn't until they were jumping through the forest tree tops did Shino actually examine the boy.

Kiba's hair was matted in thick, semi-dry blood. His clothes were blood-stained in every imaginable area on his torso. But none on this fazed Shino, not until he had started examining the teens legs, blood was dripping down his leg's, the black material of his trousers was sticky from the blood that stained it, again this is not what fazed him. What did, however, was the lack of a knife wound. Shino sped up.

**(A/N: okay, yeah, that was REALLY bad wasn't it? Come on...you can tell me, tell Avacado-chan.)**


	3. Lying is a type of genjutsu

Authors note: It's nice to know that my story is going pretty well, thank you to all of those who reviewed and put this story on alerts. You make my cherry pie turn into chocolate pudding, which is good.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I so wish I did, but I don't.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter three: Lying is a type of genjutsu.

Two days. Two days had passed…_painfully slowly_. Shino had to keep himself from pacing a hole in the floor as he waited for Kiba to recover, Hinata was clinging to his arm, in attempt to comfort him, but Shino suspected it was her who needed the comforting. No one was allowed to see Kiba the first day, Hokage's orders. As Kiba would have said at this point '_Whatever happened must've been some serious shit_' Shino thought to himself, trying to mimic his friend, trying to find comfort in Kiba's personality. The Hokage herself had given them a status report, his wounds were quite serious apparently, not to mention a few disturbing marks on his back, as to when Shino inquired into the wound on his leg, Tsunade cocked a brow and shook her head saying that Kiba would most likely tell him when he was ready. Once again Shino asked questions, more specifically what she was talking about, but this time Tsunade shook her head and stated that Kiba seemed to have been through a major trauma, and didn't know when Kiba would be waking up, and that he wouldn't be awake any time soon. So, in conclusion, Tsunade simply ordered the rest of team 8 should go home and get some rest, which they did, but were back early the next day.

News of Kiba's condition must have spread quickly, as it would seem. As it stood the entire of the Rookie nine were here, although, they weren't quite rookie's anymore. There were a number of quiet conversations going on; Shikamaru was mumbling something about Chouji's eating in a hospital being troublesome. Both Ino and Sakura were flinging half-hearted insults at each other and Sasuke was keeping a keen eye on Naruto, to prevent him from getting too loud as they conversed. Shino and Hinata were standing in silence; Shino patted her shoulder as she poked her fingers together in a worried fashion. Team Gai had yet to actually join – never mind. They wondered into the room, Tenten first, then Neji and then the Youthful Lee himself. Neji nodded to Shino as he lent against the white walls of the hospital, Tenten and Lee stood by the door, talking quietly amongst themselves. A few minutes passed …

The conversation died down, giving in to the tense atmosphere, it was tense because there had been reports that Kiba had been talking in his sleep, saying some pretty disturbing things to boot. It was also reported that he screamed sometimes, loud, terrified, pained…screams. Hinata had long since taken refuge in the seat next to Kiba's bedside. It was obvious to all she had been crying. Her eyes were puffy and red, she was extremely worried about Kiba, she seemed to be hoping that he wouldn't stay asleep forever, everyone was.

Suddenly Hinata shot from her chair "S-Shino-kun!" she beckoned him towards the hospital bed, when he arrived she continued "Kiba-k-kun is t-talking…" it was true, Kiba was mumbling things…Neji came up beside the bed and held up his hand when Kiba let out a cry of pain, to silence the noise that was sure to erupt. With that everyone quietened and listened intently to what the unconscious Inuzuka was saying.

"…Aka…maru…d-don't…watch…" was one thing he came out with, at that point Tsunade joined the silent party just as Kiba let out a whimper "s-stop!" he yelled "p-please stop!" he yelled louder, those near the bed watched in a shocked awe, Hinata was close to tear yet again, Kiba let out a choked sob as he begged this time "…stop…it hurts…s-stop! P-p-please" he whined helplessly, his arm was twitching violently and he was shaking visibly, he let out scream of pure agony, many of the occupants in the room twitched, not finding the sound very pleasant at all.

Running footsteps could be heard, an awful lot. To answer Shino's silent question Tsume came running into the room with Kuromaru in tow, not long followed by Hana and the three Haimaru siblings, and the ever faithful Akamaru behind them all. All the dogs made themselves comfortable in the corner on the hospital room by the window, all that is except for Akamaru, he stood diligently beside his master's bed. Hana seemed deeply disturbed about Kiba's shouting and screaming, Hinata's face was now buried in Neji's chest as he wrapped his arms around her in an attempted to calm her by muttering "we _were_ warned" in an unimpressed fashion. Tsume stood beside Tsunade whilst running a hand through her hair.

"N-no! S-stop! Leave me alone! Leave me -" Kiba cried in agony as he shot up from his bed and curling his arms around his legs and wheezed for breath. His breath hitched as he remembered the pain that had been shooting up his spine, Kiba immediately laid himself down on the hospital bed. His head made a loud thump as it met the pillow. Kiba bucked his hips slightly in an attempt to dull the pain "bastard, bastard, _bastard_!" he muttered to himself. He dropped his hips to the mattress with an annoyed grunt.

Stepping forward lightly Tsunade put her hand out to place it on Kiba's shoulder "Kiba-san" He shot up finally noticing her hand, he sat up hastily trying to pull himself away from the foreign limb, his hand slipped on the edge of the bed and he fell backwards and met the floor with a thud.

"D-Don't touch me!" he cried desperately as he scrambled to the unoccupied corner of the room. He looked at his hands and shook his head lightly and closing his eyes, he noticed he was shaking.

Everyone was gaping at him and his reaction to Tsunade. Even Tsume looked shocked; usually it was hard to get her anything but enraged. The dogs quietened and Akamaru limped over, his ankle was still healing from the 'incident'. Kiba watched as he walked over to him, his gaze was…sad? "Akamaru" he said as the dog was enveloped in a big, loving hug "I'm sorry…I didn't mean for you to get hurt…it's my fault" Akamaru let out a low growl and a sharp bark, causing even Kiba to jump "Yes! Yes it was Akamaru! I should have…" he trailed off finally taking noticed of his surroundings. He blinked up at Tsunade "s-sorry…Hokage-sama…"

If it were possible, all the noise in the world seemed to cease '_Kiba? Apologise? What? Since when did…_' this was where Shino gave up contemplating things to himself. He walked up to Kiba and knelt down in front of him, he held out his hand for a second longer then needed, he had assumed, judging by Kiba's reaction to Tsunade's own hand, that Kiba needed to see what was going to come at him. So he practised his theory and slowly but surely, placed his hand on Kiba's shoulder, the only reaction he got was a slight shudder "What happened Kiba?"

Kiba tensed "I-I…" he shook his head and continued "…it was…a really bad…" he scrunched his eyes shut "genjutsu" he mumbled so quietly, even Shino had to strain to hear him; Shino frowned.

"And what happened in this…genjutsu" his tone didn't leave much room for argument, and well, let's face it. Kiba was in no state to argue. Akamaru licked Kiba on the face in an attempt to calm his master's shaking. Hinata slowly made her way towards the pair, kneeling down and resting on the balls of her feet beside Shino.

"…it…_hurt_…so much…I was so scared…it seemed…so…_real_…" Kiba's eyes wondered to Hinata for a moment and then back to Shino. He blinked once, twice and turned his head back to Hinata "H-Hinata! Have you b-been crying?!"

Hinata blinked a few times herself before feeling herself nod '_is he trying not to cry…?_' Kiba's hand reached for her wrist and wrapped around it gently slowly pulling her forward. He encased her in a big bear hug, he held her softly as if he were trying to say something "Why?" he asked.

"Y-you worried me so m-much…Kiba-kun" she sniffled, slightly bewildered by her position in Kiba's lap "I-I…was…a-about to start t-thinking you w-wouldn't wake up…"

He squeezed Hinata reassuringly as he held her and loosened his grip to that soft one he had held recently "I'm sorry…Hinata-chan…"

"That genjutsu…" a voice pondered aloud from behind the three, Team 8 turned to see Naruto scratching his head "must've been pretty bad for you to sleep for two days…"

"Two days?!" Kiba yelped, shocked, he went to stand, suddenly feeling disgusted with himself, but alas, the weight of his lap prevented him from standing and taking his leave of the white-walled hell they called Konoha Hospital. He shifted, lifting Hinata - who now looked completely bewildered as she was placed lightly on the floor beside him. He shot up and made for the door, ignoring the shocked stares he was getting. His face flushed. He didn't need this "I need to go home" he mumbled.

"Oi, Kiba, your clothes are over there" Hana smirked pointing towards the small dresser against the opposite wall to the bed. If possible Kiba's face seemed to redden further, he cursed himself; he had been in such a rush he had forgotten all about his clothes and was about to walk out of hospital bandages and all. He rushed over and grabbed the first things he found, which incidentally weren't his mission clothes (thank god) but civilian ones. He allowed himself a small thankful smile as he rushed towards the door, hugging his clothes close to his chest and head bowed.

Rolling her eyes, Tsunade followed Kiba as he entered the hallway "Kiba" she stated, he turned slowly to face her, desperately trying to hold back a shudder "I need to talk to you about your injuries" by now, Hana and Tsume were in the doorway with Akamaru, his friends somewhere behind them.

Kiba winced "w-with all due respect, I _really_ want to g-go home…now…"

"Kiba!" she narrowed her eyes.

Taking an involuntary step back Kiba stared wide-eyed '_shit, shit, she knows…oh Kami-sama! What did I do to deserve this?!_' "Okay! Okay! I'm listening!" he shouted reluctantly, before slapping a hand over his mouth and berating himself '_**Baka, don't talk to Hokage-sama like that, she can hurt you, you know**_' Kiba shuddered at the thought, his usually dormant inner demon, or, his dark side as he would usually put it, chose the worst time to speak his mind…or…speak to it…or something…

"I'm not going to sugar-coat anything, because you'll find out eventually anyway, but, you have 'Pride' on your back"

Cocking his head to the side Kiba stared at her "Huh?"

"You literally have the word 'Pride' on your back…you right shoulder blade to be more accurate" she paused waiting for a reaction. Receiving none she began repeating herself "I said you-"

"What?" he asked, attempting to feel the mark through the gauze wrapped around his chest.

Tsunade nodded "Shizune!" she yelled "get me two mirrors!" out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Kiba wince and take a few steps back from her as she yelled, she walked forwards stopping a few feet short of him and bent down so they were face to face "I would also like to talk to you about your other wounds…" she trailed off before huffing to herself, she continued in nothing but a whisper "down there…" she stood as Kiba turned his head away biting his lower lip and his face reddening in shame…

"Hokage-sama!" Ah, there we are, she was always on time "I have the mirrors"

"Shizune, hold the mirrors in front and behind Kiba while I take off his gauze" Shizune nodded, not looking to happy about it but doing as she was told and held the portable mirrors as instructed. Kiba twitched as Tsunade unwrapped the gauze, clearly unhappy about their closeness. He looked up at the mirror in front of him, all air left his lungs as he read it, there it was in sharp lettering, taunting him, pride.

Kiba barely managed to contain an anguished cry, it was more…a suppressed squeak trapped in his throat, he shuddered visibly and started to shake in fury and sorrow, he pushed passed Shizune, not enough to knock her off balance, but enough to get his point across, he was upset and wanted to be alone. Most of the crowd caught a glimpse of the mark, but not Hana or Tsume, they saw the whole thing…the whole horrible thing…Akamaru whined as Hana was held in the arms of her mother, both trying to suppress tears. Concerned whispers filled the room. The females all looked mortified, Neji, Shino, and Sasuke tried to look as indifferent as possible. Chouji, Shikamaru, Naruto and Lee set to work trying to calm their friends' nerves. Sakura was pale, like she'd seen ghost, and Naruto mooning over her welfare, Shikamaru was patting Ino on the shoulder who happened to be cradling a shattered Hinata in her arms with Chouji whispering reassuring words to her. Lee was attempting to comfort Tenten with "the comfort of Youth" and how Kiba would be okay as he would soon be able to embrace youth's warmth.

When Kiba returned an awkward silence ensued. He wore a simple red long-sleeve jumper and a pair of dark blue jeans and black converse shoes. He stood in the doorway for a few moments before making his way back to his bed and placing the standard hospital gown on it. Hastily he turned on his heels and whistling "C'mon Akamaru, let's go home" he said, desperately trying to sound happy, Akamaru was instantly by his side tottering…limping, happily beside him.

"U-uh Kiba!" Ino piped up, taking a few steps forward "are you okay?"

Grinning, Kiba nodded "Never better…" turning his head up to her for a moment, before his gaze faltered and found its way back to the floor '_you are not very good at faking it, Kiba-san_' Shino thought shaking his head "I-I'll see you later…thanks…for visiting, guys" with that, he started to run down the hallways.

"Oi! Kiba! I need to talk to you!" Tsunade shouted, scowling.

"What about?!" he shouted back still running, Tsunade scowl hardened as she realized it wouldn't make a difference how many times or how loud she shouted, he wasn't coming back, he hated hospitals anyway.

**(A/N: So? How was that? Go on, tell me how bad it was, you know you want to. Oh yeah, for the sake of it, I'm having Sasuke in this fic, Sai can go and live with Orochimaru for all I care. Besides, I need him for my story -grins-)**


	4. Guardian angels

**Authors note: This chapter is dedicated to my Art Teacher, Mrs. Forman. She passed away over the weekend…**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, I would have made Kiba win in his match in the preliminaries. Naruto won. Such a terrible injustice.

Beautiful liar;

Chapter four: Guardian Angels.

Kiba winced stepping under his steaming shower. He felt disgusting; he felt used…he felt…worthless. He scrubbed vigorously at his skin; he didn't feel clean, just dirty, like a whore. He picked up the bar of soap, which was situated near the shower faucets, lathering up his hands he ran them over his already soap-covered arms, and other such limps that felt dirty at the time. He had so far done well to fight back the urge to drop to the floor in despair and cry to death, yes, he was an Inuzuka, and yes Inuzukas' were a prideful bunch but he was also a shinobi and as such, would not cry. Ninja's don't cry. That was the number one rule; Ninjas' must show no emotion, Kiba winced '_does that include losing your virginity on a mission?_', in any circumstance.

He shuddered at the thought of that man's hands snake their way across his chest, he hated it, the feeling of being defenceless, the feeling of having no choice but to submit, feeling like he was in fact, just some whore. That's what he felt like, a whore, something to be used without care or concern. That man had shown him no care or concern, that filthy man…just used him. But there was an upside to this; Kiba's eyes softened '_Better me then them, I'd die if this happened to them…Shino…Hinata…at least it was me…_' at the thought he smiled sadly. He really did feel that way; he didn't just think it to make himself feel better. He knew they didn't deserve it, but then again, he wasn't sure what he had done to deserve it either. Maybe it was all those years of disrespect towards the Hokage, Or Naruto…maybe? Maybe it was his punishment for never choosing to help out in the Inuzuka household…

_Wondering downstairs Kiba sniffed the air and let a goofy grin fall upon his features, his mother was cooking his favourite, beef raman, he wondered into the kitchen, Hana was already there, reading whatever book he was reading, Kiba didn't care. He was never one for books. Tsume looked at him expectantly and his grin widened "I'm going to go train with Shino after dinner, you know, we're trying to get used to fighting in the dark for our next mission"._

_Tsume snorted and pointed heatedly towards the dinning table, indicating for him to sit down and shut up before she ripped his head off._"_I'm just serving it up, now be quiet, oh yeah," she paused briefly "if you don't win against Shino-san then I won't cook Beef raman for the next month" Kiba's grin faltered at that. He stayed silent for a moment before smirking and leaning on the table with his elbow._

"_You know, ma'. We both know that you can't go two weeks without beef raman, it'll be more of a challenge for you then me" he laughed slightly, Hana rolled he eyes and soon returned, or at least tried to, return to her reading._

_Tsume put on a smirk of her own "Then I'll start cooking Miso raman instead, we both know you're the only one that has a problem with Miso raman" both she and Hana laughed quietly at his misfortune. Curse women, they always gang up on him._

_Kiba gasped and glared like a cat to a lizard, hissing "eeeeviiiilllll" in a childish manner before crossing his arms indignantly and pouting._

_Needless to say – Kiba lost that night._

Sighing Kiba decided he was done and sighed again when he realized he was a prune. Or at least a very Kiba-shaped prune; turning off the running water Kiba stepped out the shower and grabbed the first towel he found and rubbed the water off quickly and dried his hair in much the same manner, he dressed quickly, back into the clothes he came home in. He didn't bother brushing his hair, he never did anyway, why start now?

Pulling open the door more violently then intended, Kiba dropped the towels into the laundry basket and trudged over to his room and slamming the door, never bothering to turn on the lights then he lay on his bed in a daze with Akamaru lying snugly at his feet.

* * *

After Kiba dashed out of the hospital, Tsunade wasted no time in gathering together a group of Chuunins and Jounins, for a little reconnaissance mission. She sat at her desk, looking serious for two reasons, one, to prevent herself from pulling the sake out from the cabinet under her desk and two, to examine the group she had chosen. Her eyes wondered over them critically, trying to size up the chance they'll let their guard down and fail the mission. She clasped her hands in front of her and entwined her fingers whilst she rested her chin on them, She didn't want them to fail this mission, if they did, it would be all but over if this particular target found out.

The party before her stood in silence, examining her with the same intensity, Shino, Hinata, Neji, Shikamaru, Hana, and Tsume had been standing there for a good five minutes and a certain bored genius was, well…bored "Are you going to tell us why we're here or are we just going to have a staring contest?" he piped up, his posture slackened slightly as he put his hands in his pockets, watching Tsunade with a bored expression.

"Hai, I would like to go home to Kiba," Tsume chimed in "I'm worried about him" Hana nodded in agreement as did Hinata. Tsunade gave a solemn nod.

"Well, that is why we're here, I have a mission for you all…" she paused for a moment "I want you all to keep an eye on Kiba, watch his behaviour. Report to me weekly, and _do. Not. Fail_" she stated gravely. She looked over the crowd to see Neji scoff; she raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"We're just glorified baby-sitters?" Tsunade smirked and nodded vigorously, and mockingly.

"Pretty much, don't screw up, we don't want him feeling trapped, got it?" All of them gave stiff nods, but she wasn't done yet "I wanted Inuzuka-san and Hana-san to watch him at home, or whenever they are in his company; sort of a twenty-four hour surveillance thing. Shino, Hinata, watch him during training and other such activities. Neji, Shikamaru, Every spare minute you have, go looking for him. Okay?"

Shino nodded "go about life as normal as possible" he stated plainly.

Nodding again Tsunade smiled "exactly, Shino. Please, if any of you should feel the need, take extra measures; especially if he starts freaking out about something…" she blinked looking over the crowd expectantly "Is there anything anyone should mention…"

Raising her hand gingerly, Hinata spoke up "K-Kiba-kun f-finds it hard t-t-to…h-hold…eye c-contact…Hokage-sama…" She glanced at Shino, almost timidly.

He nodded "Hai, he does; he has also begun to stutter slightly" Tsunade raised a brow "it is not normal behaviour for Kiba. There is definitely something very wrong" Shino sighed, he was itching to find Kiba and begin the mission. He wanted to know he was okay. He did not like the shaky, scared, stuttering Kiba he had seen in the hospital.

Frowning, Shikamaru looked to the ceiling in thought "Yeah…did you notice how he backed away from Hokage-sama whenever she yelled, not to mention tried to touch him" all present in the room nodded.

"He also seems very hostile and jumpy, in general, around everyone but Akamaru" Hana mumbled distractedly.

Turning towards the Inuzuka women Shino raised a fine brow "Inuzuka-san, what is so significant about 'pride'?"

Sighing dejectedly Tsume crossed her arms over her chest "if this…genjutsu master did his research he would know that the Inuzuka clan are extremely prideful and close-knit, now that I think about it, Kiba seems ashamed about something but…" Tsume trailed off and huffed shaking her head "I can't think what a genjutsu would cause him to be ashamed about…"

Standing Tsunade nodded and gestured for them to leave "thank you…you've given me a lot to think about…" the party of ninja all left with no real complaint, most wanted to go home and some would be going home to start their mission "Oh, Inuzuka-san, please tell Kiba to report to me immediately" said Inuzuka nodded and continued out the door of the large office.

* * *

The heavy thud of a fist on a door woke Kiba from his light slumber with a snort of surprise, he grumbled as he sat up on his bed rubbing his face tiredly "Come in…" he mumbled, his tiredness evident. He jumped slightly when the door was swung open carelessly. Tsume entered the room, a large grin on her face. Kiba grinned back trying to hide his unease "Ma!" he got up from his bed and padded over to Tsume; he flung his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Kiba" she laughed, "What is all this?" she stroked her sons hair affectionately waiting for an answer.

Snuggling into her stomach Kiba mumbled "Ma, you know I love you, right?" he stiffened slightly when Tsume's hand paused mid-stroke. He relaxed when he felt Tsume return his embrace, tightly, comfortingly.

Tsume Nodded, resting her chin on her pups head "Of course I do Kiba" She smiled sadly down at him, he nuzzled deeper against her neck, just wishing he could go to sleep again "You know I love you, don't you?" she asked, cupping his chin in her hands softly. Smiling sadly and nodding Kiba looked to the floor biting his lower lip "and you know…I love you no matter what, right? You know you can tell me anything…" again Kiba nodded, his eyes flickering nervously back and forth from Tsume to the floor.

"I-I…umm…I guess…but-"

"-But nothing, Kiba" he winced at her sharp tone and kept his saddened gaze to the floor "remember, you are an Inuzuka…" she brushed his hair away from his forehead and placed a soft, loving kiss in the centre of it "and we'll love you, no matter what happens, no matter what's said, you can always count on us, got it, pup?"

Kiba nodded, close to tears '_if only you knew what happened…you wouldn't be saying this now…I've disgraced us all..._' he shuddered violently, trying to hold back tears "h-hai…'Kaa-san…"

Gripping her son tightly she swayed as if trying to rock a baby to sleep "do you want to talk about it…?" she asked hopefully. Kiba merely shook his head and let out a choked sob. Tsume sighed and pulled away from her son, looking at him with caring eyes. She cupped his face in her hands and wiped away the few tears that had fallen, she frowned slightly, noticing his gaze was still to the floor "Kiba?" she asked.

"Mm?" he answered none too intelligently.

"Hokage-sama said she wished to see you immediately," she paused at his wide-eyed look and continued whilst lovingly stroking his hair "…something important…" she mumbled offhandedly "go" she stated poking his nose playfully "you'll be fine, my pup"

Kiba groaned and wondered past his mother and trudged downstairs "I hope it doesn't take long" he mumbled quietly, this was the last thing he wanted to do. What he wanted to do the most was sit in his room and hopefully rot away like any other used, depressed boys. He reached the door and stepped outside, and slammed the door shut, as was customary of the loud, arrogant boy Kiba was…key word. _Was…_

**(A/N: God, I had such a depressing day, it sucked, I was near tears. I wouldn't let myself cry, maybe tonight ne?)**


	5. Breaking the boundaries

Authors note: Well as last chapter was dedicated to someone, I don't count it as my weekly update, plus, do you know how bored I am? **(By the way, I'm going to start introducing POV's, m'kay? Don't kill me, yeah).**

Disclaimer: I don't own- Troublesome…

Beautiful liar;

Chapter five: Breaking the boundaries.

**- Kiba -**

I trudged up the halls none too happy about having to come here at…what time was it? I roll my eyes and scowl, putting on the mask of myself that everyone knows and loves. It got me thinking as I glared at the floor, what would happen if everyone liked me as a red carpet and one day, and I was suddenly stained with blue ink? What would people make of my purple smears? I know I wouldn't like me. I wouldn't be clean and that's exactly how I feel right now, _not clean_. I shiver involuntarily and I pull down my long red sleeves past my knuckles and start playing with the material. I think I may have developed a nervous habit…

I look at my closed fist as I knock on the door; I wait for the go ahead shifting my weight from side to side. What's got me so worked up? I dunno'. I scoff mentally to myself. Of course I knew and it was because Tsunade-sama knows too…I bet she knows about it – the r- the um…the ra- that _thing. _I can't bring myself to look up as the words 'Come in' are heard through the hard oak of the door. As I enter I feel eyes on me, I sniff the air and I am aware that there are two people in the room: Tsunade and Shizune. My face heats up and I pray to the gods I'm not blushing, I know I am and that alone causes my blush to deepen with embarrassment. Normally I wouldn't give two shits about two being in a room with me. But right now I was almost certain that they both knew about the…_that thing. _"Y-you wanted to see me…Hokage-sama?" I stutter out, I grimace, I shouldn't stutter! I don't stutter! At least the old Kiba didn't. My blush deepened and I didn't raise my head as I spoke, too ashamed of myself.

**- Normal -**

"Yes I did Kiba" Tsunade sat at her desk, a few random scrolls out of her desk, she beckoned Kiba forward with a small waggle of the finger. Kiba stood at attention a few paces away from her desk. And Shizune stood at the door, a small frown on her face "We have important business to discuss…" she trailed off, looking towards Shizune.

Glaring at Tsunade, Shizune folded her arms across her chest and stalked out the room mumbling something about Kiba needing support and mountains of paperwork "Fine, I'll see you later, Kiba-san" with that the door slammed shut leaving in it's wake an awkward silence. Kiba tried desperately to stop himself from shuffling uncomfortably and Tsunade entwined her hands together and brought a painted nail to her lips in thought.

"You were raped." Tsunade stated bluntly and Kiba stumbled backwards in shock, he stood there, his mind now in a mental battle, what was he supposed to say to that? He settled for shaking his head stiffly at the floor and fiddling with the rim of the sleeve of his jumper nervously. Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"N-No…I um-"

"_Don't _you _dare_ lie to me, Kiba" Tsunade glared and Kiba winced to himself '_baka_' he thought. Her finger pointed at him accusingly "I _saw _those wounds; I'm the one that _healed _you. Don't you _dare_ try to play me like a fool, Kiba…" she trailed off.

"I-I wasn't…it-"

Tsunade scowled "then what were you doing, hm!?" she lent back in her chair, eyeing him critically "What possessed you to hide it?" she asked pensively.

"…I couldn't…" Kiba mumbled rubbing the back of his head "let it…happen…"

"Let what happen, Kiba?" She asked curiously and entwining her fingers, she arched a brow.

Huffing loudly, he made his unease known "I umm…" he trailed off '_no way am I letting her in my head…_' he thought "What's the situation with the mission report?"

"You missed it, you're changing th-"

"What happened?" Kiba interrupted boldly, he didn't want to give her a chance to talk to him about it anymore. He didn't _need_ to talk about it anymore. He wanted to be left alone; he didn't want people to know, for a couple of reasons. The reasons were…this: He would attract attention; he didn't want attention right now, not when he was a stuttering, jumpy mess. It _wasn't_ him.

There were a few moments of tense silence, nothing but the birds and the wind dared make any noise. As the leaves on the trees rustled, Tsunade sat back in her chair mulling over her thoughts, she watched as Kiba shuffled uncomfortably. She blinked and furrowed her eyebrows as she felt a very small irregularity in Kiba's chakra flow. It seemed to pulse every five minutes or so and then his flow would return to normal. She dismissed it with the thought of it being her old age and that she was imagining things (god forbid Tsunade admit she's old).

"Are you feeling alright, Kiba?" She questioned, her voice portrayed nothing but pure curiosity Kiba noted.

He blinked a moment before answering "fine…I guess, listen this is getting no where, can you please answer my question?" inwardly, Kiba cheered. He had gotten though a sentence around Tsunade _without _stuttering or blushing, its good things didn't change when he was irritated.

Sighing Tsunade nodded "I'm decommissioning you" she stated simply.

Blinking in pure confusion, Kiba took a moment to process what had just been said, his face went from confused to shocked to enraged in a matter of seconds "What!?" he yelled furiously.

"I said: _I'm decommissioning you_" she repeated plainly.

"_Okay, _first off, you call he here at _god knows_ what time in the evening, _then _you ask me about something I'd rather not touch with a fifty-foot pole, you _never_ answered my question, _and now_ you're _decommissioning_ me!?" Kiba lectured breathlessly. This was not happening to him, it couldn't be, this wasn't fair-

"Yep" Tsunade stated in a bored tone.

"You can't!"

"I can"

"Then answer my god damned question!" Kiba yelled at the top of his lungs.

Standing from her seat, Tsunade sighed a melancholy sigh and stepped around her desk only to walk a few paced to stand in front of Kiba, with a small frown on her face "they were fake…"

There was another pause as Kiba was allowed to be left alone with his thoughts '_they were fake…as in not real…?_' Kiba looked up to Tsunade "the bandit-nin…?" he questioned sadly, she only nodded silently '_the bandit-nin were fake…it was…a-all the set-up_' Kiba fell to his knees at the realization, his shoulders shook violently, barely managing to hold in his rage and sorrow…Tsunade knelt beside him, taking him gently into her arms and rocking him like a child.

"I'm so sorry Kiba…" she mumbled "it's okay to cry…" she said to the boy, who was in fact near tears, he was successfully holding them back, he shook his head.

"No…it's not…" Kiba choked out.

"I'm going to tell your mother, Kiba"

Kiba shot up, his eyes widening with panic "N-NO!" he grabbed hold of her sleeve "Please don't…don't tell anyone…"

"Kiba…"

"Please…" he begged weakly.

Tsunade sighed "Fine Kiba-san, I will not tell anyone, but promise me…you will…when you're ready…"

"Fine" he sobbed out, he took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes free of any lurking moister.

"I'm sorry Kiba…" Tsunade bought him closer into a comforting embrace "it really is okay for you to cry…"

"No…I'm not going…to cry" nothing was said after that, the longest half an hour of Tsunade's life passed slowly, by the end, she was thankful that Kiba was now, somehow, asleep. Had she been that comfortable? Tsunade smiled slightly and picked up the boy with very little effort and carried him, bridal style over to a small brown sofa in the corner of the office. She patted his head gently and returned to her scrolls.

* * *

There had been silence for at least an hour since putting Kiba to sleep. He had not stirred once and nothing seemed to wake him up, when there had been knocks at the door, Tsunade would say 'come in' in her usual, loud, authoritative tone, he wouldn't even bat an eyelid, when other ninja entered, Kiba would be stared at for a brief second and then ignored, but Tsunade would always ask them to reframe from yelling. They usually followed her order without question, except for one or two who had not seen Kiba on their way in.

There was a two sharp knocks at the door suddenly, Tsunade sighed when she realized that her brush stroke had been interrupted 'How am I supposed to prepare for the Kazekage's arrival like this?' she finished off the kanji hastily and shouted "come in" across the room.

The door opened and none other then Aburame Shino slid inside, he surveyed the room and only paused to send a questioning glance at Kiba and then to Tsunade who shrugged and frowned. Shino arched a brow.

"He was told he had been decommissioned…" Tsunade trailed off.

"That is all?"

"No…he'll tell you when he's ready" Tsunade nodded when Shino gave her a small nod "what is it you wanted?"

"I wanted to talk about the reconnaissance mission" he gestured to Kiba and then put his hands in his pockets "but I see now is not a good time, tomorrow, perhaps?"

"Tomorrow it is, and bring Hinata with you, you will be meeting your teams temporary replacement" she smiled widely when she saw Shino nod again "and, could you, carry him home?" she gestured to Kiba with a sly smirk on her face "I don't want to wake him up"

**- Shino -**

I nodded my head for the third time to show that I had heeded her words, I walked at a casual pace towards Kiba as he slept, how long had he been there, his sister ha passed me on the street asking me if I knew where he was. It worried me, strangely enough. I did not wish anything to happen to Kiba, not whilst in my charge, that is why I had gone looking for him. I take hold of Kiba by the shoulders and knees; his head rests against my chest as I begin the journey towards his family home.

As I walk down the corridor, slowly, so as not to wake the boy in my arms. He seems lighter now then he did the day of the mission. Perhaps not eating for two days will affect your health more then I had anticipated. He will be fine, I tell myself. But, as I walk, my eyes keep trailing down to his peaceful face; I am not sure what possesses me to do so. It is an irregular occurrence in my behaviour. I am also unsure as to what it was that made my cheek flush. That is also irregular. I force my eyes away from him and concentrate on the road towards the Inuzuka compound only to find that I have gone in the complete opposite direction, and to my embarrassment, turn around swiftly on my heels.

A walk at a swift pace finds me at the Inuzuka home in about fifteen minutes and I sigh suddenly realizing my predicament. I cannot knock on the door, not with Kiba in my arms. I shift slightly trying to evenly distribute his weight so neither of us plummets to the floor. Luckily, and much to my gratitude the door swing open carefully to reveal Hana, she must have smelt me. She is grinning at me, I assume that means she is happy I have brought her brother home. Suddenly she frowns "Is he okay?"

I nodded my head once "sleeping" I state simply, too distracted by the bush of brown hair Kiba keeps untamed…it suits him, I suddenly think. Mentally I shake my head and hand him over to his sister "when he wakes, make sure he eats" I say and she nods "Good night Hana-san" I wonder off and I can't help but think of Kiba's smiling face. This is indeed very irregular…

**A/N: Okay, I'm really sorry, most of this chapter was conversation. Don't kill me. Please, do tell me how you find the new set-up? I just decided that there are scenes that just wouldn't work in third person. First is always good).**


	6. From Fang to Canine

Authors note: I have to say **Dustori-chan** is very inquisitive, I like her reviews. (please be a 'she' or I'll kinda' look like an idiot) Anywho - who can solve the mystery of 'who did it' with Kiba, well sorta (**Warning of crude language**).

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, just the OCs. M'kay?

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter six: From Fang to Canine.

The Inuzuka clan were indeed very close to one another, so close that news travelled amongst them quickly…a little too quickly. Once word got out that Kiba wasn't feeling or acting like himself, family members 'dropped by' every now and then. Hana had been woken up at seven o'clock this morning by her aunty because she and wanted to check on Kiba, she was turned away and told to come back later on the count of Kiba being asleep. Tsume had taken it upon herself to kick Kuromaru off the sofa when she'd been woken up by a few of Kiba's cousins at around six thirty in the morning. They were woken up or forced to stay awake for hours and since it was finally a decent time of day, they couldn't go back to sleep and envied Kiba for never even stirring once. Lately Kiba had been a heavy sleeper and he slept…a lot more then usual.

Frowning upon the sight of her empty fridge Tsume sighed and shut the fridge door with a vengeance, she turned to the counter and invaded the bread bin pulling out three pieces of bread and putting them in the toaster with a huff, all the while with Hana watching her intently "you think he'll be okay, ma?"

Turning on her heals Tsume looked thoughtfully at the space behind Hana's head and then, after a moment their eyes locked "honestly, I don't know…" she stated sadly. She turned back around to the toaster as it clicked with a finish. She heard grumbling as she set the toast on plates "Good morning Kiba" she grinned happily.

"Nothing good about it" he mumbled his usual morning greeting.

Laughing Hana tilted her head to the side "what's so bad about it, Kiba?" he shook his head and frowned at his food when it was placed in front of him by his mother who joined them on the table with food for herself and Hana.

"No, I mean it this time, Hokage-sama decommissioned me…" there was silence for a few minutes, Kiba did nothing but stare at his food whilst the rest of his family ate.

Tsume frowned slightly when she noticed an untouched meal, well, it wasn't really a meal but they were out of food, live with it "Kiba, you should eat that" she stated authoritatively.

"'m not hungry…" Kiba mumbled absent-mindedly, Hana dropped her toast in shock.

"Kiba, in all my life, you have never once been 'not hungry', are you _sure_ everything is fine?" Tsume pressed. Kiba growled as he realized his mistake "plus, you haven't eaten in about three days, if you keep this up you won't live till next week" she continued in a hushed, concerned voice. Kiba didn't answer; he only looked at her for a moment before losing his nerve and returning his saddened gaze to his untouched toast. Tsume sighed…

Hana stood, now done with her toast and waltzed over to the sink "I'll go get some more food from the market-"

"Nah, I'll go, got nothin' better to do" Kiba stood and grinned headed for the door.

"Kiba! You're not going anywhere until you've eaten" with that Kiba swivelled around on the balls on his feet and grabbed the toast and taking off a corner with his teeth and smirking mischievously at his mother and bounding out the house, picking up a pouch of money on the way out with Akamaru on his tale.

Once fair distance away from the house Kiba glanced at his toast before grimacing and chucking the barely touched food in the bin, Kiba had no idea what had actually happened to his appetite. It was just gone, usually, he would never pass up a meal, but lately he had barely noticed the need to eat, sure he'd been asleep most of 'lately' but that wasn't the point. He had been surprised by his own lack of hunger, it was odd for him, usually whenever he had been presented with food he was like a vacuum, with this in mind, he not only felt dirty, but broken too.

**- Hinata -**

Shino-kun had told me everything he knew about the situation, which didn't turn out to be much. He had simply stated that Kiba would tell us in due time and that Hokage-sama wanted to see us today, when I asked why, he said that we would be getting a temporary replacement for Kiba, it appears Kiba will be out of commission for a very long time. Longer then I would like. I hate to leave Kiba-kun behind; both he and Shino-kun have helped me so much…

As Shino-kun and I stand in the waiting room, my mind wonders to the day Kiba woke up in the hospital. He scared me so much when he started screaming…it almost sounded like…no, Kiba wouldn't keep that sort of thing to himself…or…maybe he would…I don't know, it's never happened before, how I am supposed to know how he will react. If there is one thing I have learned on my journey to be acknowledged is that you can never truly know someone, because everyone is different and they all have their own demons and secrets and…their own way of showing you how they feel. If for example; Kiba was angry, far too angry to talk he would, say…clench his fists or growl, I have to admit it's strange when he growls, I sometimes forget that he's part of a dog clan and as a consequence, some of his behavioural patterns are similar to such an animal. Again, he's _ferociously _loyal and kind, even if he does get carried away sometimes, but that's why I like him, he's so unpredictable.

Although, on the subject of behavioural patterns, it brings me to think of Shino; most would think that Shino-kun is near impossible to read. But not me, I personally think; after being on a team with him so long that Shino is a deep and meaningful person. He doesn't talk on less he has to, therefore bringing meaning to his words. It is the same with his actions. He likes to keep himself to himself on less he feels it is necessary to make contact, which in turn makes his movements purposeful. You do not need to be able to read Shino to understand him, you just need to think, although his words are blunt most of the time; he is always able to make you think. To think of the situation or the surroundings you are in, in the end you will always be in a better mood once your mind wonders. I like that; he always helps me clear my mind. I like that about him, he's an excellent listener.

I push my fingers together as the words 'come in' are shouted, myself and Shino step forward into the office and stand in the middle of the room, forcibly, I pull my fingers apart and stand at attention as I follow Shino's lead.

**- Normal -**

There was silence as Tsunade put brush to scroll, she was frowning ever so slightly, she was probably itching for some Sake, but alas, Shizune was watching her like a hawk, literally. She stood in the gigantic window of the office and a stern look on her face watching both Tsunade and the liquor cabinet.

A few more moments of silence passed and Tsunade sighed placing her brush down and handing the scroll to Shizune who trotted off happily. Tsunade entwined her fingers with a thoughtful look on her face "ah, I have your replacement…"

No-one moved unsure of what to make of the sentence "w-who is it, Hokage-sama?" Hinata pressed meekly, pressing her fingers together again.

Smiling, Tsunade spoke "he's an Inuzuka" if possible Shino's back straightened further in surprise and Hinata gasped, Tsunade raised a brow "problem?"

"W-well…" Hinata began timidly "i-it feels like we're re-replacing K-Kiba-kun completely…" Shino nodded once in a solemn agreement.

"Relax, I'm not going to keep him trapped with you two forever. Plus, I think Kiba would be a little annoyed, don't you?" she laughed and shook her head at the children- well, teenagers but, compared to her, they were children. There was another knock at the door "Ah, Come in!" she shouted with a solemn face. And come in he did. Hinata gulped and Shino furrowed a brow. The figure at the door stood tall, with a cocky smirk plastered on his face.

"Hey, team"

**- Shino -**

As he moved forward and stepped into the light of the room, I noted he wore a mesh shirt and gloves - fingerless, he also as it seemed wore fairly loose, but fitting black trousers that were tucked into black sandal boots and seemed to reach to his knees. One would wonder how he fought. He approached us running a hand through the loose black bangs of his hair, as he walks I take note that his hair it in a high pony-tail and reaches to his lower back, his eyes and markings are not unlike Kiba's own, except, I can already tell he is a very calculating person, and I doubt very friendly. I frown slightly "And what do we call you?" I said, not feeling all to patient with him.

"Kenshi" he said still smirking, I wonder for a moment why I feel like wiping that smirk from his face, it is too like Kiba's. I feel it is only suited to Kiba's. I also feel like questioning why he was named 'Canine' but that in turn would be like questioning why Kiba was named 'Fang'.

"I-I'm H-Hyuuga Hinata a-and thi-this is Aburame Shino" Hinata stutters out in her own unique meek voice. I fail to imagine her without it.

"Great. Hokage-sama, I've met the team, can I go?" if I were anyone else I'd have ripped his head off already, five seconds in and he treats us like we're a burden. I'm only going to say this once, and hopefully never again; Bastard. Hmm, I frown at myself, it seems Kiba has influenced me more then I thought, I am getting tired of my irregular behaviour.

"Fine" she answers shrugging and returning to her paperwork.

"Also good. Hey, who did you guy say your other team mate was?" he asked with a curious yet demanding tone, I smirk, just a little under my clothing and decide to toy with him a little, by doing so cut across Hinata.

"He-"

"We did not say who he was" I stated plainly and start to head out the door. Hinata is reluctant to follow my lead, but she does once I take about two and a half steps. We are silent for a few minutes after we have left the Hokage's office and I decide to speak up again "I have not seen you in Konoha."

"Nope, shouldn't think so" he saying nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. I scowl lightly and Hinata seems to sense my discomfort.

"H-He means…w-where are y-you from?" She pipes up much to my relief, I do not want to talk to the Inuzuka much more then I have to right now.

"Kiba no Kuni" he says absent-mindedly, he's staring at Hinata, I do not wish to think why, so I casually start to slow down so I interfere with his view of her. So, he is from the Fang country. Interesting… I shall have to ask Inuzuka-san about the clan history and it's relation to Kiba no Kuni "mind telling me who your old team mate was, he's an Inuzuka, right" I nod my head.

"H-His name i-is Inuzuka K-Kiba"

He stops moving and I turn around to see what the problem is "Kiba? You mean Tsume-baa-san's kid?" I nod and he laughs, he seems to have a mischievous glint in his eyes. I frown slightly and continue onwards.

* * *

**- Normal -**

Looking towards the sun, Kiba smiled slightly, it was around mid-day which meant that he had managed to avoid his family and his friends. 'Good' he thought to himself sighing. That last thing he wanted was for someone to be fretting over him, he didn't deserve it.

"HEY KIBA!" he cursed himself, he spoke too soon; he sighed and turned around to see a hyper Naruto and a very bored looking Shikamaru. Kiba walked contently up to them, meeting them halfway, he grinned widely.

"Hey, Naruto, what's up?" Kiba asked still grinning as he pet Akamaru with his free hand, as his other was full of a lot of shopping, which mostly consisted of meat.

"I'm bored! Dattebayo!" Kiba and Shikamaru scoffed.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed, he turned to Kiba, his gaze serious "we came to see how you were, that's all, Baka Naruto" Kiba's grin faltered, this is exactly was he didn't want.

Blinking he put a hand to his cheek and scratched lightly, looking to the left in an attempt to hide his blush "…fine, um…I have to go, see ya' Shikamaru, Naruto".

"Oi Kiba!" Kiba shook his head at Shikamaru's protest to his departure, refusing to stop and turn around, he was more or less sure he had heard "troublesome..." as he ran.

After successfully fleeing the company of the super-lazy genius and the number one hyper-active ninja, Kiba sighed in relief as he lent against the wall of an apartment building. He made a mental note to go out less. Right now, he couldn't seem to handle random encounters. Perhaps; a person knocking on his bedroom door is best at the moment rather then a group people in the middle of Konoha. After a moment he scowled at his own cowardice. If he was going to act like everything was okay, then he would at least have to _act_ like everything _was okay_. He gave a frustrated sigh for two reasons, one being that sighing was something people did then their minds were troubled and two; he hated sighing so much. It was annoying.

"Cousin Kiba!" suddenly a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist and he yelped, and managed to wriggle out of his captures grasp, he turned, his quickened breaths.

"Hey! What the fu- what the…K-Kenshi?!" he scowled "what the hell! What are you doing here?!" said male laughed, Shino stood behind him shaking his head and Hinata peered at Kiba from behind him, looking apologetic.

"Wow, after all this time, you're still a crap shinobi, Kiba-chan, what happened to your training? Was becoming a kunoichi too hard for you?" he chuckled again.

"Okay, first off, mutt, I _am_ male I'm already a _chuunin_, and second, your insult is a little _too_ late" he growled, baring his fangs. Kenshi rolled his eyes.

"Man, chill, you know if we got into a fight, you'd lose, _badly_" his eyes narrowed with the threat "and watch who you're calling 'mutt', last I heard you had pup's of your own, tell me…who's the father" Kiba clenched and unclenched his fists his fists.

"_Shut up, baka…_" he growled menacingly, beside him, Akamaru began to growl as well, at this point Shino took it upon himself to pull Hinata off to the side, to prevent her from getting crushed by flying Akamarus'. Kenshi smirked and put his fingers to his mouth and blew, effectively sounding off a loud whistle. In a matter of seconds the group was joined by a large black dog, with piercing silver eyes, his long fir seemed to sway in the wind, adding to his ferocity.

"Nice of you to join us, Kagemaru" the dog yipped happily and returned to growling, Kenshi smirked evilly.

The growling was abruptly stopped by a clearing of the throat "Kenshi-san, it's nice to see you" said boy turned and gulped.

"Hello Tsume-san" he said with a nervous grin. Shino smirked 'it appears not even he will disrespect Inuzuka-san…' Hinata merely smiled and trotted over to Kiba and whispered in his ear.

"_Kenshi-san is o-our new team mate…Kiba-kun…_" at this Kiba simply took his hand to his mouth and bit down on it, in an attempt to control his temper.

**(A/N: Hey, this was longer then usually yes, but it couldn't be helped, I was determined to give you something that wasn't entirely a conversation…that failed miserably, I think…)**


	7. How the days fly by

Authors note: Yeah, I'm doing a time skip, I don't know if you figured it out already, but time skips will be happening a lot. But not so much for the purpose of chapters like this **(warnings of bad, bad language)**.

Disclaimer: I'm not doing this. You know the drill.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter seven: How the days fly by…

Two weeks had passed since the day Team 8 had returned from that failed mission, Kiba had still not returned to his usual self, although, no one thought they would be able to think of the 'new Kiba' as anything other then abnormal, let alone come to think of it as normality. Kenshi was still in Konoha, and even less of Kiba had been seen because of it. Or perhaps it was something else entirely. No one knew. Some had suspicions, others had hunches or queries, but, alas the weekly visits to Tsunade and yet to cease.

The first visit went by…

Shino, Neji, Shikamaru, Hinata and Tsume with Hana stood in the hall outside the Hokage's office awaiting the signal for entry. Hinata stood side-by-side with Neji twiddling her fingers, looking worried. Neji just looked impassive as ever, much like Shino who stood closest to the door, hands in his pocks. Hana was conversing with Tsume quietly, Tsume returned the conversation in the same tone, it looked serious…Shikamaru looked dazedly out a window, cloud-watching and thinking about just how troublesome these weekly visits were, even though this was the first for a long while.

The signal was given in a few minutes later but not in the way they had expected. The door swing open, it would have crushed Shino had he not heard the stomping footsteps a moment before the evil door turned on him, quite literally. The one responsible trudged out the Hokage's office baring his fangs, and a glint of malice in his eyes. Shino's brow creased at the black-haired chuunin, Hinata gasped, she paled considerably when he pinned her with his glare; he was growling when he slammed the door shut. He looks to Shino "Shino, Hinata, we have a mission, we're heading out tomorrow at dawn, if you have any problems with that I'll rip you're head off." He let out an agitated growl "perverted bastard…" he mumbled.

Everyone present in the room held their breath, did he know? Did he know about Kiba's condition? Could he tell them anything? Shino's brow creased further "what is the nature of this mission, Kenshi?" he asked monotonously.

In reply Kenshi merely growled and so did his nin-dog, feeling his master's agitation "Kiba no Kuni is at the brink of war… We're going to assist the peace-talks, if you ask me; our Daimyou can't keep peace for more then a couple of months at a time…worthless shit" he said with a scowl.

Tsume let out a growl of her own "don't be disrespectful, Kenshi-san" she didn't even notice Hana slowly edging away to stand next to Hinata, smiling gingerly at her.

"What! You know as well as I do, the Federal Lord is fucking useless! We're war-prone because of him! You don't know how many times the Claw country has been angered!"

Tsume stepped up to him, baring her own sharp fangs "_don't_ start an argument with me! Hold you're tongue, got it?" her eyes flashed menacingly. Kenshi seemed unaffected and shrugged it off.

"Whatever, Tsume-san, I don't see _you_ denying it either" He grinned mischievously "the Hokage will see you now" he waltzed off, the grin still on his face with Tsume silently fuming at his wittiness.

Hinata took a few steps forward and raised a questioning finger "a-ano…where are you g-going, Kenshi-san?" he paused for a moment, a turned his head, revealing a toothy grin and then continued walking.

"…to relieve some stress" he said nonchalantly waving a dismissive hand.

Everyone looked at each other with questioning glances as those words left his lips, Tsume simply looked thoughtful for a moment before walking into the office muttering "he loves to torment Kiba" it was heard by all, it was meant to be.

They entered in single file, lining up in front on the Hokage just so. She examined them critically for a moment and sighed "Well, let's get down to business" she looked them over expectantly, and Tsume Nodded, stepping forward.

"Kiba…the day he got home from the hospital…he asked me if I knew he loved me" Tsunade cocked a brow, waiting for elaboration "he hugged me too…he seemed to find it hard to let go, but he rarely looked me in the eyes. Always the floor" she sighed to herself and stayed silent for a moment "he hasn't done that since…since he was six… and that was when he accidentally broke a glass and thought he was in trouble" Tsume smiled at the memory, but soon sobered.

This time Hana stepped forward, with a small frown on her face "He hasn't been eating properly either, he just stares at his food…we usually end up coaxing him to eat at all…"

_Staring at the ceiling had become one of the safest past times for Kiba, often he found himself with nothing to do and there were never any friends to barge in on him, his family knew he liked to be left alone to his thoughts, especially nowadays. Usually, he was with Akamaru. Come to think of it, if Kiba could, he would go and train with Akamaru, but his mother gave him strict orders not to do anything too straining for at least another week._

_He sat up abruptly when he head the door slide open; he turned to be met with his sister holding what looked like a bread bun in her hands. He scowled for a moment, knowing what was coming but choosing to look at his sister with an inquisitive expression at which she rolled her eyes and stepped forward placing the bun in his hand "eat it" she stated simply and left the room._

_When she came back ten minutes later she sighed at the sight before her, Kiba was gone, and the bun sat on the nearby coffee table, completely untouched._

It was Shino's turn to step forward now and say his piece. He didn't much like the idea of having to spy on his best friend but, if it was to help him, then he would do it. He was silent for a moment, thinking just what to say "He is very edgy" his face remaining impassive as he thought "…he said something very strange…"

"I can't smell what I'm not looking for" Neji recited assisting Shino who nodded in thanks.

_Wondering through Konoha market, Shino and Neji had decided to accompany Kiba shopping, since it was one of the only times Kiba was actually out of the house. It had almost become a habit, they would come to his house, they would ask what he was doing and then they would accompany him to his destination and back again. It looked like Kiba didn't seem to mind. Once they had gotten to the stand, Kiba conversed with the salesman and eventually got what he was after, that was of course after a little haggling and a discount for being one of their best customers. _

_Once on their way back to his home there was a loud, shrieking voice, all three boys knew too well "ooooiii! Kiba! Shino! Neji!" he exclaimed happily, waving an arm in the air, unfortunately Kiba wasn't prepared for the arm that found it's way across his shoulders, he let out a sharp, surprised yelp and took a step forward and swivelling around on the balls of his feet, with a fist raised, within a moment Naruto was clutching his head in pain "itai! Kiba!" Naruto shouted._

"_Baka Naruto! Don't do that to me!" he yelled back, glaring daggers._

_Naruto paused, looking slightly surprised "couldn't you smell me?" he asked, tilting his head._

_Clenching his fits by his side, Kiba's eyes widened slightly _"_I can't smell what I'm not looking for!" he yelled and stalked off in a huff, now officially annoyed with leaving the house. Neji and Shino exchanged glances._

Neji sighed, "neither of us saw much of him after that, last I saw he was with Ino and Chouji, he seemed pretty content for the time being, I let him be" he looked around, everyone was paying close attention to him "but if you ask me, he didn't smell Naruto because he wasn't looking for Naruto, which leads me to ask the question 'who is he looking for?' if he is indeed looking for someone and if so, why is he putting all his efforts into finding him…" after a moment of thoughtful silence from the Hokage she gestured for the next person to continue, at this point it was Hinata who spoke up next, stepping forward bravely.

"I-I saw him that day…I met w-with Ino and Ch-Chouji" she paused for a moment "h-he went stiff w-when Ino commented on his w-weight."

_The four laughed as they sat on the grassy hill near the academy, Ino took her place on the swing, Hinata sat next to Chouji against the tree while he ate a packet of barbecue flavoured chips, she smiled as she chatted idly to Ino, Kiba lay on Akamaru, looking up at the sky "you know, Kiba" Ino smiled down at him almost innocently._

_He looked over, slightly alarmed at being addressed "yeah, I know him, great guy" he stated sarcastically. Ino giggled and rolled her eyes._

"_Heh. No, seriously Kiba, you look different…" Kiba paled almost unnoticeably, but this did not escape Hinata even in the light of the setting sun "you look thinner" she smiled when she pinpointed it "that's what it is!" she yelled triumphantly._

_Stiffening slightly Kiba lay back down on Akamaru looking up to the sky "pfft, I dunno' what you're talking about Ino, you're imagining things…" he gulped slightly as he tried to stay as nonchalant as possible and not give into the temptation to run and hide under his bed._

Sighing Shikamaru took it as his cue to step up and talk, turning from lazy to serious "If there's one thing I've noticed throughout the week is that Kiba does seem uncomfortable when people ask about his welfare, I asked him how he was once and he looked to the floor, blushing, he does that a lot lately, if anyone else hasn't noticed" he paused to see everyone in the room nodding in agreement "He tried to hide it, but after he answered he made a run for it…that's all I got." After a few minutes of silence Tsunade dismissed everyone.

Later that day, Shino took it upon himself to visit Kiba and tell him he had a mission, once he reached the house he did not have to wait long for the door to be opened by a disgruntled looking Kiba, his hair was messy – more then usual and he looked very, very tired, Shino noticed that Kiba's breath hitched when he saw whom exactly it was who was, he looked surprised. So surprised in fact he turned a light shade of pink "S-Shino?"

He nodded "I have a mission"

Kiba frowned leaning against the doorframe "Thanks for that. You make me feel so useful sometimes…" he commented glaring at nothing in particular.

"I am sorry if I have made you feel uncomfortable" Shino said monotonously, noticing Kiba turn a slightly darker shade of pink.

"H-how long?" he questioned, looking at Shino with…he gave it a moments thought '_sadness, longing…need?_' he mentally shook his head.

"Most of the week" he cursed himself when Kiba looked a ground sadly and nodded "but, if you agree to it, you and Shikamaru may spend the night at my house on my return" at that Kiba smiled a genuine smile and nodded happily, with that Shino waved goodbye never missing the deep red blush that painted Kiba's cheeks and the bridge on his nose.

* * *

The second week was not much different both Neji and Hinata had indeed noticed Kiba looked slightly thinner and Shikamaru had noticed that Kiba didn't eat much, quite often, if they went out as a group or something, Kiba would leave most of his food and give it to Akamaru, Tsume and Hana had only noticed one thing. He was at least _trying_ to eat now. But neither Shikamaru nor Shino were willing to talk about what happened earlier that week. But, there were really only two people with anything to tell; Shino and Neji.

Neji was the first to speak up "His training is lacking, he seems to tire easily…not to mention I felt a strange pulse in his chakra…"

_It had been a few days since he had been allowed to resume training, and of course, once permission was given, he was out of the Inuzuka household before anyone could say 'Gatsuuga' . He had started with some light training, which consisted of jumping from tree to tree with Akamaru pacing himself on the ground below. __From a distance, Neji observed them, noticing after about fifteen minutes that Kiba was on the ground, panting heavily._

_He frowned and began his approach._"_Geez, don't sneak up on a guy like that, Neji!"_

_Once he arrived, he received a greeting he would sooner forget, Kiba shot up, throwing a Kunai his way, which he deflected with ease. It wasn't so much the Kunai that worried him, it was the fact that Kiba seemed to be on the offensive "Kiba?"_

_He frowned "I wasn't sneaking" at this Kiba looked at the ground and sputtered like a fish out of water._

"_W-Well...y-you should make e-erm…ano…you should make…m-more noise!" Kiba rubbed the back of his neck, a blush painting its way across his face, Neji rolled his eyes._

"_Come, I will train with you" he stood in the ready position, and Kiba grinned and took his position crouching on the floor on all fours. Not much had happened after that, they fought; Neji quite obviously having the upper hand, of course, Neji used this opportunity to observe his chakra levels. For a while they only thing he noticed was a tiny gathering of chakra around his abdominal area, his brown furrowed slightly at that._

_He only realized he had let his concentration slip when he noticed a clawed hand less then two inches from his face, quickly he evaded and bought his own hand to meet with Kiba's face, he stopped abruptly as he felt an odd pulse in Kiba's chakra a mere centimetre from his tattooed cheek. Neji let his hand fall to his side "N-Neji?" Kiba asked, in slight concern._

"_Training is over" Neji stated plainly._

"_But we barely di-"_

"_Training is over" he stated again in the same tone "you look as if you will pass out any minute, I don't want to have to carry you home saying you over-did it, rest Kiba" with that he turned on his heels waving a hand as he went, it was true, Kiba did look very tired, and come to think of it, rather pale. Perhaps he was ill._

At this point Shikamaru and Shino shared glances, Shikamaru shrugged and Shino nodded reluctantly "It was on my return from the mission in Kiba no Kuni" Shino stated.

"Yeah, Kiba and I spent the night at his house" Shikamaru gestured to Shino, who nodded solemnly "not much happened until we went to sleep, there was blushing, nervous laughter, awkward silences and Kiba trying to act normally. I didn't really care much; Shino was a great host, anyway…"

_After a very long afternoon, Kiba, Shino and Shikamaru had finally settled into their futons, all three boys asleep, but not all peacefully, some fitfully, more specifically, Kiba. Shino had been watching him for a while now, simply because he could not sleep with Kiba's silent whimpers and twitches, Shino couldn't help but pity his friend when his face contorted in pain, and let out a small, strangled cry, on the other side of Kiba, Shikamaru stirred slightly, but returned to sleep after a few moments._

_A few seconds later Kiba let out a pained gasp and sat up, panting heavily, his eyes wondered to his friends, hoping to Kami he hadn't woken them, he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that neither of them had stirred, Shino at this point had decided not to move to quickly and stayed down. Kiba turned away to try to lessen his increased heart rate._

"_Are you alright?" Kiba jumped at the voice behind him and look to the side to see Shino, sat up in bed, he cursed himself when he realized he hadn't even heard the sheets move.___

"_Y-Yeah…" was all Kiba could manage before turning his gaze to his lap, he clasped his hands together when he noticed he was fiddling with the sheets._

_Nodding Solemnly Shino made to return to sleep "Well then, good night Ki-"_

"_S-Shino?" Kiba asked, taking hold on his pyjama sleeve and tugging it slightly "a-ano…c-can you…" he looked unsure with himself, but forced himself to continue "…hold me?" there were a few minutes silence and Kiba shook his head "f-forget it, it was stupid…"_

"_It is fine" Shino stated simply, at that Kiba smiled gratefully and slowly scooted closer to Shino and clutched the front of his shirt as if his life depended on it, Shino in turn, awkwardly placed his arms around Kiba's waist, he frowned slightly when he noticed Shikamaru, smirking beside the cuddling pair "how long have you been awake?" he felt Kiba stiffen._

"_I've been awake since Kiba kicked in the shins, so, a little before Kiba himself woke up" he paused still "don't worry love-birds, I won't tell anyone" he laughed lightly "…sorry, that wasn't very funny" he smirked again "I'm going back to bed, behave"_

_All throughout the conversation, Kiba had not turned to look at Shikamaru, for fear he would notice the bright red blush painting his cheeks, he had been sure he was glowing "good night" he heard Shino say before he was brought down onto Shino's futon to sleep, Kiba smiled slightly and snuggled his head on the crook on Shino's neck whilst Shino rested his head atop Kiba's, loving the smell of the younger boy._

**(A/N: okay, I know that was just a filler, but it's too troublesome to have to write a chapter for all those scenarios plus the weekly visits, forgive me, I hope it was okay.)**


	8. Art's true motive

Authors note: Okay, since I'm very bored, I decided to write this chapter, since that last one was just a filler. I figure I'd be nice for once.

Disclaimer: I own a rather good picture of Kiba.

Beautiful liar;

Chapter eight: Art's true motive.

On the Monday of the third week after his little training session in the Konoha wilderness, the blond simply could not get the Inuzuka out of his head. Of course, that was not the only problem. He had been surprised his clay models even made it passed the gates of the village hidden in the leaves. But, it's not like he was upset they did, he was glad they did. It made his life a lot easier then walking up the gates and drawing attention to himself. Besides he needed some guinea pigs to test his new bombs out on. He was happy with who they did send, all of them seemed attractive. Although, it's not like he was naïve as to who they were, he jumped with excitement when he found out that he had an Aburame, Hyuuga and Inuzuka on his tail. When he had gone to investigate from - a _good_ distance away, he grinned like a madman. The Hyuuga was beautiful in her blissful innocence, The Aburame is what he described as tall, dark and handsome (or at least he assumed he was handsome under his high-collared shirt) and the Inuzuka, to the blond, practically oozed raw passion and charm, not to mention he was stunningly sexy.

The blond smirked at that, he had been _very_ pleased with the Inuzuka and immediately decided that he wanted him, _badly_. His smirk only grew at the memory; he did indeed _get _the boy, and he was indeed all the things the blond and described him to be and more. He could clearly see, as the dog-user chased after Deida, one of his favourite clay models, that the Inuzuka was hot-tempered with an explosive personality, he laughed as he thought about how broken the poor lad must be. Oh, his pride must have been torn to bits, the blond frowned for a moment '_My poor lion_' he thought sadly to himself before he scoffed and sat up as the door to his dark and dank room opened. Standing he turned to the door, straightening out his black cloak, his eyes lingering on the imprint of the red cloud, his frown deepened '_this isn't art…My lion is art, yeah_' he looked up when he heard someone clearing their throat "yeah?" he growled out.

Rolling his eyes the blue-haired male lent against the doorway "are you _still_ drooling over the mutt?" the blond simply scowled and narrowed his eyes, silently asking him to get to the point, at which point The blue man sighed "Leader wants to see you" he smirked when he noticed the clay-users scowl falter.

"What for, Kisame-san?" said man shrugged and mumbled something about a mission before wondering off to do whatever the hell it was he was doing before he interrupted the blond's brooding session '_if he thinks I haven't been pulling my weight it's because he hasn't been giving me any weights to pull_' the blond thought bitterly before wondering through the dark tunnels of the dreary and dull base that he Akatsuki we currently inhabiting, he sighed. He so wanted to decorate.

* * *

Later that afternoon Kiba, Naruto and Sakura waited at the entrance to the North gate of Konoha awaiting the return of their friends, they had sat there for about half and hour chatting idly, laughing and joking, Kiba only laughed harder then Sakura whacked Naruto one every time he said something indecent or stupid. They were going through the plans for the return of Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino and Shino. The plan was to have a celebratory lunch once they all got back, simply because they had heard rumours that the C-ranked mission, of escorting a bunch of merchants from one place to the other hand turned into an A-ranked mission when it had been discovered that they were carrying precious cargo that a group of about ten rouge-ninja had wanted. Shino had been the one to call for back-up, using his Kikaichuu to send a message to Tsunade.

The group that had been sent was positively bewildered when they had found that the group of Chuunin sitting calmly and drinking Fresh tea with a pile of unconscious Ninja tied to a nearby tree.

Smiling, he couldn't help the blush that painted his cheeks when he thought of Shino. He hadn't seen much of the bug-user since he spent the night at his house, and even then, it was weird. To have asked to be held in his arms, just like that? Kiba bit his lip and played with the sleeves of his light blue woollen jumper, he had said it without thinking, well that would be a lie, he was thinking but, his mind was moving too slow for his lips, the words escaped before he could stop them. It had taken a good few minutes for him to process what he had just said. Kiba gave a small smile '_but I liked it…_' Kiba breath hitched at the statement and his smile faltered '_no. No I didn't…I don't…I don't like men!_' he mentally snapped at himself '_but…I-I…Shino was warm…_' he caught himself "shut up" he hissed at himself. He turned with a dark pink blush on his cheeks when Sakura and Naruto gave a simultaneous 'huh?' he laughed nervously "j-just talking to myself"

At this Sakura gave a wide, knowing smile. Kiba didn't like that look, he watched bemusedly as Sakura scrutinized his face "you're blushing…" she mumbled at which point the blush only darkened to match Kiba's embarrassment "I bet you were arguing with yourself a second ago…" at Kiba's wide-eyed look and gulp, she grinned knowingly "you like someone!" she exclaimed happily.

Blinking confusedly, Naruto looked between Sakura and Kiba "eh? Sakura-chan, how'd you work that out?" Sakura simply sighed and muttered about Naruto being a naïve simpleton. Thankful for the distraction, Kiba took the liberty of sniffing at the air; he smirked and turned to the gate.

"They're here!" he exclaimed loudly wondering up to the newly-arrived group with Sakura and Naruto in tow "oi, Shino!" he yelled, still smirking "Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji!" he raised a hand, waving in greeting, two of the four waved in return meeting it with enthusiasm, one simply raised his hand for a second or two before shoving it back in his pocket, the fourth did none of the above and continued to walk, hands in pockets until the group met half way.

For a moment, Sakura and Kiba examined the group for injuries and such whilst Naruto talked loudly about…something, Kiba didn't care to listen, and Sakura was currently fussing over an injury on Shikamaru's arm. Kiba looked Shino over and stopped when he noticed blood on Shino's jacket pocket, he stared at it for a moment "Kiba?" Shino asked, monotonously.

Snapping out of his blatant day-dream Kiba's eyes locked with Shino's shaded ones "You're bleeding" pointing at Shino's jacket, Shino nodded in reply "let me look at it" Kiba stepped forward holding out his hand, waiting for Shino to give him the injured limb, it never came.

"It is fine, Kiba" Kiba frowned at his friend and shook his head; he was too stubborn for his own good sometimes. By now everyone was silent and watching the exchange, neither of the boys seemed aware.

Growling, Kiba took hold of Shino's undamaged arm and dragged him over to a bench, forcibly making him sit on it "pfft, if you're bleeding, you're not fine. That's what I always say; _you_ should know that by now, Shino" Kiba put out his hand and performing the 'give it here' motion a few times. Huffing silently, Shino thrust the limb into Kiba's awaiting hands.

Examining the wound, Kiba frowned slightly, it wasn't deep, but it was bleeding – a lot. He needed to clean it, before it got infected "how'd you do that?" he asked still unaware of the crowd watching him, Shino raised a brow.

"You say that like it's my fault" he stated flatly.

Kiba mimicked the gesture "just answer the question" he stated equally as toneless. Shino simply looked at him, silently "sometime today would be nice" Kiba frowned at his friend.

"Just a Shuriken wound" Shino paused, noting the small smile on Kiba's face "happy?" he questioned plainly.

"Very, now let me clean it" he stated pulling the limb towards himself, it was pulled back quickly.

"It is fine" Shino took his hand back.

"I insist. And, by the way, I'm not going to stop until you let me" Kiba said with a small glare. Shino's shoulder's shagged slightly before he straightened out again. Cupping Shino's hand in his own, Kiba brought his lips to the wound, which lay in the centre of the palm of Shino's hand. Gently, he began to lap up the blood, getting ride of any potentially harmful bacteria. At this point everyone turned to Shikamaru.

Said genius sighed and looked at the sky lazily "I read somewhere…that the Inuzuka clan holds dog-like instincts, but, I didn't really have to read it, ya' know. I've seen it enough from Kiba's family; and him…" Sakura raised an eyebrow, and Ino prodded him to continue, literally. Shikamaru sighed again "basically, when for example a dog gets injured, another member of that pack will…clean the other dog's wound, but in the case of the Inuzuka clan, I'm guessing they only do it to say…" Shikamaru shrugged "close friends or mates, I guess" he paused "go read a book if you want to know what mating is"

Putting a hand to his chin in thought Chouji spoke "but, Kiba has never done that to any of us before, and we're all close friends, do you think Shino is…"

Shikamaru pulled a thoughtful face and shrugged "I doubt it" he shoved his hands in his pockets "troublesome" he muttered.

A few minutes later, Kiba found himself cursing his actions. He had acted without thinking again and he was growing annoyed. He had no idea why he was doing it. It just seemed like a primal instinct that he just _had_ to fulfil. Silently he reached into Shino's backpack and found a small roll of gauze which he used to wrap the wound in. Shino's hand twitched slightly when Kiba tied to the knot "oh shit!" he whispered in a panicked tone "d-did I hurt you?" he asked, gazing at Shino through worried eyes, taking Shino's hand and cradling it as if it were glass.

Nodding slightly, Shino agreed "it hurt a little" he paused as Kiba shot him an apologetic look "but…" he raised his bandaged hand to Kiba's face "I will be fine, arigato for your concern Kiba" His hand lingered for just a moment and a pink flush made its way onto Kiba's cheeks and he nodded dumbly. Shino stood and pulled Kiba to a stand, he gasped and paled for a moment before falling into Shino's chest, Kiba shook his head slightly and blinked a few times "Kiba?" they were still unaware that people were watching them, Sakura and Ino had at some point or another gone starry-eyed at the supposedly-romantic out-play of the scene 'so romantic' being the term they gasped in unison, much to Shikamaru's utter-annoyance.

"Y-Yes?" Kiba stuttered out.

"Are you alright?"

The light pink blush on Kiba's cheeks spread across the bridge of his nose, and darkened slightly, noticing at last how close their faces were "f-fine" he stuttered nervously, reluctantly, Kiba pushed off of Shino "I-I just got a little…d-dizzy that's all…"

"And how many times have you been dizzy?" Shino asked at which Kiba shrugged and mumbled something akin to 'couple o' times' to which Shino took hold of Kiba's wrist and led him to the rest of the group "you look thinner" he stated plainly as he met with the other group, he ignored Kiba's indignant expression as he addressed his friends "is there a reason you met us upon our arrival?" he turned to Sakura when she nodded.

"Yeah, we're all waiting at Ichiraku's for you guys" she smiled at him "celebratory, you know, since you guys got back mostly uninjured" at that Shino nodded leading the way and Kiba to the ramen stand.

* * *

A good half and hour later, the entire of Konoha twelve was seated at Ichiraku, Teuchi had set up an extra table, since not everyone would fit at the bar (A/N: For those of you that don't read authors notes at the beginning or end of chapters, I said I was keeping Sasuke and Sai could go live with Orochimaru for all I care) So all twelve opted to seat themselves at the table so no-one felt left out. There was enough room at the table to fit twelve people three on each side.

On the side closest to the ramen stand sat Sakura on the left, then Lee with his arm around her waist and Tenten looking jealous of the pair. To the Right of those three on the second corner closest to Tenten sat Shikamaru looking very bored with Ino next to him in the centre holding Chouji's hand. And on the side furthest from the ramen stand sat Kiba who looked nervous to say the least, directly across from Sakura, and a stoic Shino who sat directly across from Lee and then and equally stoic Neji who sat across from Tenten. And the row opposite to Shikamaru's was set as such: Hinata sat across from Shikamaru twiddling her fingers, Sasuke sat across from Ino talking quietly to Naruto who sat across from Chouji Needless to say, the side closest to Ichiraku was nominated to get the food, which they did with little complaint.

There were a multitude of conversations going on. Hinata, Sakura, Lee and Tenten were conversing about girly things like flowers and gifts with Lee taking notes for his beloved Sakura when he wanted to buy things for her, for example on her birthday. Sasuke and Naruto disappeared off somewhere about ten minutes before and said they'd come back in a few minutes Shikamaru watched Kiba as he played with his food, he had yet to take any to his lips. Ino and Chouji flirted next to him; he found it best to lock smut out of his head. Shino and Neji simply ate, exchanging a few words here and there.

When Naruto and Sasuke returned they were holding hands and everyone paused and looked at them expectantly, Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and Naruto laughed gingerly and rubbed the back of his neck, Kiba rolled his eyes "spill it, I can _smell_ the lust on you guys" he mumbled into his ramen, finally taking some noodles to his lips and chewing slowly. Shino raised a brow.

Bursting into a fit of nervous laughter, Naruto gripped Sasuke's hand tightly "w-well we-" Sasuke sat down, forcing Naruto to join him, sat in their original seats.

"We're dating" Sasuke gave Naruto a look that said 'was that so hard?' and turned back to his meal. Hinata smiled brightly, having long-since gotten over Naruto, and Sakura and Ino long ago got over Sasuke, so everyone was happy.

"C-congratulations Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun" Hinata smiled and everyone else nodded and Ino smirked.

"So, who asked who out?"

"I asked him out" Naruto gestured to Sasuke who nodded "took me ages to work up the courage"

"Wow, Sasuke, Naruto must be some guy for you to say yes" Tenten commented before shoving a piece of beef in her mouth. Sasuke gave a small smile and Naruto grinned for a second before it faltered at the thought '_must have been some guy to keep you in here for two days…_'

"Hey, Kiba…" said male looked up to see Naruto gazing intently at him, he blushed. He didn't like it when people looked at him like that; it meant they were thinking about him, or what to say to him, concerning him. He gulped dryly and waited for the other boy to speak "About that guy who put you in hospital, are you…ya' know…" suddenly there was a tense silence at the table; Sakura gaped, struggling with her words.

After a moment, she found them, stood up, waltzed purposefully towards Naruto and clobbered him over the head, hard, with her fist "don't talk about things like that so lightly!" she practically screamed, all the while with Kiba sat staring at him, eye's wide with disbelief "How do you even expe-"

"I-It's fine Sakura-chan" Kiba stated calmly, Naruto looked at him quizzically as Kiba desperately tried to form a smile, after about half a second he finally managed it, and once he did that, it quickly formed into a large grin, but the grin didn't reach his eyes. No-one was fooled as he let out a small supposedly happy laugh "it's practically been three weeks, Naruto, I'm over it!" Naruto forced a smile and a nod upon his face and after which, everyone reluctantly returned to their previous activities. Eventually, Naruto had managed to grip almost everyone with his tails of missions that went extremely well, and the amazing people he met along the way. The only people not really all that interested were, Shino, Neji, and Shikamaru who were having their own conversation, Kiba simply wasn't listening. He was desperately trying to control his shaking body, the tears that threatened to fall and his increased breathing '_must be some guy…_' he thought sadly.

**  
(A/N: Okay, yeah, I hope this is all good, this scene will continue next chapter, how 'bout a cliffy hm? So, recap: Sakura and Lee are together, Ino and Chouji are together and so are Sasuke and Naruto, any complaints? Singles so far, Tenten, Hinata, Neji, and Shikamaru, you'll see, I wonder if I should pair Shikamaru and Hinata up… but I prefer to Keep Shikamaru single...)**


	9. Cleanse the heart of a sinner

Authors note: I feel like I haven't updated in over a week…it's been so hard not to g on a writing frenzy…I love this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own Kiba's love though.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter nine: Cleanse the heart of a sinner.

The twelve friends laughed heartily at a sarcastic remark from Shikamaru about him getting a girlfriend, something about him being too lazy for the female species and he found them all too troublesome. They laughed again when Naruto asked if he was gay all too innocently. Shikamaru replied with a 'never thought about it' and from there the topic changed. There has plenty of talking and laughing and joking, and a fair bit of serious conversation, future missions and such. From there the topic travelled to mission successes and mission failures then…inevitably, to Team 8's most recent failure and then of course, the reasoning behind Kiba's decommission, for as it seemed, Kiba was the only one who knew. By that time Kiba hadn't done anything except play with his food, he said nothing when asked questions, by all rights he didn't have to, they all knew it was a sensitive subject for him. _But_, he _did_ say he was okay with it right? Why not see how _okay_ with it he really is? Apparently, not very okay at all, as when he had been asked the question 'Where did you get that mark of your back?' he froze completely. His chopsticks stopped moving in his Raman, it looked like he wasn't even breathing, he didn't even respond to his name.

Five minutes later, and people and only just started to have quiet conversations with each other, deciding to drop the subject of missions all together. Silently clearing his throat, Kiba lifted his head and took hold of his Raman bowl "N-Naruto…" Said boy turned to his, after only a moment eye eyes widened slightly, Kiba didn't notice "Do-do you want the rest of my Raman"

"S-sure…Kiba…are you okay?" Naruto asked, his eyes full of concern, although as he asked the question a few more people turned to look at the pair, this didn't go unnoticed by Kiba, who simply nodded an gave a small, nervous smile. Naruto accepted the bowl, staring at a place on Kiba cheek, next to him Sasuke shifted slightly to look at Kiba, he had, up until a moment ago been uninterested in Kiba's behaviour, but thanks to a certain blonde's tone on voice, he just _had_ to see what got him so concerned, and he found it, he found it indeed.

"Are you sure you're okay, Kiba?" Naruto asked again, Kiba only nodded, looking over his friends for a moment, all of them had shock written all over their faces, with that in mind he turned back to Naruto.

"Fine…why are you all staring at me…?" he gulped, not really wanting to be looked at, let alone stared at, rather blatantly too. It was then that Sasuke cleared his throat and bought his own hand to point at his cheek.

"You are erm…" he paused, unsure of his words "crying" it was then he felt it there was definitely something on his cheek, gingerly his hand to his cheek '_damn it_' he thought, he bought his hand down, to gape at the water that glittered under the light of a nearby lantern on his fingers.

"Kuso" he muttered to himself, he stood from his seat, he didn't want to be here anymore, he didn't like it, he didn't like it at all then he felt so weak "I have to go…" he paused and moved away from the table "…feed Akamaru" he finished weakly as he walked away from the group "it's going to rain anyway"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata shouted as she made to follow her broken friend, in a second she found a hand on her shoulder, Hinata turned, looking imploringly into Shino's shaded eyes, he shook his head.

"Leave him" he paused "if he had wanted our help, he would have said something"

There was a sigh beside them; Shikamaru. He looked up at the sky "there aren't even any rain clouds, was he right about the rain?"

After a moment Shino nodded "The winds are shifting"

**- Shino -**

Shortly after Kiba's departure, the warning of rain had prompted many of our friends to go home; I nod my head towards Sasuke and Naruto as they head back home. Which ever they end up at is not my concern. Tenten is leaving with them talking to Naruto about the latest shuriken design. It sounds quite interesting but it is not my top priority right now. Beside me Shikamaru sighs, I assume it is because he will not be able to go cloud watching, due to the on coming rain, it is quite close now. The rain is just beginning to fall. Hinata is still sat at the table with Neji, I hear Kiba's name slip from Hinata's lips; she must be worried about his behaviour this evening. Neji simply assures her he will be fine and convinces her that they should be getting home. She leaves with him after waving goodbye to the rest of us, I wave back, knowing she likes it when I respond to greetings and leavings, it makes her happy, she said to me once, to know I'm not always in a state of brooding. I myself, assured her I do not brood, not too much anyway. I remember, it was in our Genin days, one of our first training sessions, well, first few, she had to work up the courage to talk to us. It was quite amusing for a while. She wondered why I over-think, I said I didn't, she left it there.

Beside me Shikamaru mumbles something about going to the mission report, I frown slightly, I had  
forgotten. I will leave it to him; my father is expecting me home soon. I make my way down the streets of Konoha, with my hands in my pockets; it is a habit I am reluctant to grow out of. I like it. It's like Kiba trying to stop scratching his markings when he's thinking, change won't happen. I turn my head up to the sky as I walk, the rain is getting heavier now; I am slightly irked that my house is so far away. I cannot say I like the rain, but it does not bother me to the point I will make a scene. One of the only scenes I think I have ever made was when I burst into fits of laughter during a mission and even then I did not wish it.

As I near the Aburame compound I heard hurried footsteps, it is quite late at the moment, the sun is just beginning to set, to turn on my heels to face the oncoming pair, I am only mildly surprised to see Tsume and Hana, they look worried, perhaps they nee- "have you seen Kiba?!" Hana asks breathlessly. Ah, I had thought Kiba might be the reasoning behind this.

I shake my head, no. "I have not" I state, Hana lifts her head and sniffs the air "Do you wish for my assistance?" I ask politely. Tsume nods and steps forwards.

"Hai, we would. We would usually be able to find him ourselves under normal circumstances but the rain is diluting Kiba's scent" I nod in understanding. Then I frown, I cannot send my Kikaichuu out under this heavy rain, they may get injured.

"Where have you looked?" I ask simply, I cannot help but think Kiba had planned this, but then again, why would Kiba plan something like this? He hates the rain with a passion, a passion none can compete with.

Tsume shakes her head and scratches her markings in thought. Ah, now I see where Kiba got his habit from "we looked everywhere we thought he might be, the park, the training grounds, the market and home, we can't find him anywhere…" I nod, this was either very well planned or Kiba just knew what his family would do and where they would look off by heart. He is very good at keeping track of movement.

"Then this is what we shall do" I pause to make sure I have their full attention, I continue when I see they are, in fact, already giving me their full attention "Hana-san, you go home and wait for Kiba to come back, Inuzuka-san, you search the centre of town, I will check the outskirts of the village" they nod in understanding and we separate, I am glad they chose not to argue over who looks where, I assume it means they trust me.

From the Aburame compound it take a little less then five minutes at a brisk pace to get to the outskirts of the village, I am not pleased about being as soaked as I am, it is raining heavily and there is a light mist in the air, I have a feeling this will turn into a heavy storm. The soil squelches under my feet as I walk along the edge of the forest, if I am right, Kiba will not have gone far from the village, why would he need to? As it is, he knows that if he is gone for too long, he will become a missing-nin; he is not likely to let that happen. Unless he has been unhappier then I had previously thought. If that be the case, why would he feel the need to leave? With that thought in mind, I set off at a faster pace.

It has been around ten minutes since I began my search; I have made it to the western side of the village's outskirts, I had started at the south, there was still no sign of Kiba, I will probably be out here for another half an hour before I have completed my search. I can only hope Tsume has at least reported to the Hokage about this. It is darker now, but the rain has yet to let up even the slightest. At this moment in time, I can't help but feel slightly vulnerable; the heavy rain is making it difficult to hear anything other then the noise it makes as the droplets hit the ground with a wet thud. My guess is that that the rain drops are about the size of my Kikaichuu, it is inconvenient, if I were able to send them out, I would. It is by far, less time-consuming.

A few minutes later and I find myself at a clearing, as I scan the horizon my eyes drift over a tree, in the centre of the clearing, which happens to be on a large hill, atop that hill is a lone figure, sitting with his knees to his chest, it does not take me long to realize this figure is Kiba as I move closer to him, as I approach, walking towards the hill, I take note of his hair, due to the rain, it has flattened and sticking haphazardly to any bit of skin it can find, some of it even curls as it hangs wetly by his ears. He takes a deep breath in, and lets it out with a shuddering sigh.

He is still oblivious to my being here, even as the soil squelches and the grass brushes against grass with every movement my feet make, I am close now, only a few feet behind him. He's shaking terribly, but as I can tell, not just from the cold, from the looks of him, he's trying to hold back tears. My guess is he came here just as soon as he left Ichiraku's. It pains me to see a friend so miserable, and as hard as it is for me to admit, I miss his teasing smirk, I miss him as a partner, I miss him as a ninja, and I…I miss him. I know I sound as if he has died, I know that is incorrect to consider that fact but in my point of view, he has. He is no longer the Kiba I knew, that Kiba is gone, it seems. Dead. This new Kiba, this quiet, secretive, depressed Kiba is what we are left with. I do not like it…I want the old Kiba back, good as new, however that is unlikely ever to happen, not unless he speaks to someone. I shake my head, I am brooding. I move forwards…

**- Normal -**

The grass behind Kiba crunches, his eyes widen and he shoots up, claw's and fangs at the ready, he turns he claw already on the path to the intruder's throat, suddenly he stops short, all the air in his lungs escaping from his lips – Shino. He almost attacked _Shino._ The boy didn't move when Kiba came at him "you found me" Kiba breathed out, shock evident in his voice and on his features. Shino moved passed him, with a slight nod, Kiba kept staring straight, his eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, eyes shinning with confusion, slowly he lowered his arm and his head to stare dejectedly at the ground.

"Kiba" said boy slowly turned, only to see Shino sitting under the same tree he had been only moments ago, he watched as Shino patted the patch of grass beside him, silently asking him to sit. Kiba, although still with the shocked look plastered on his face wordlessly obeyed. He had decided that his hands were far more interesting then Shino's face, he fiddled with the sleeves of his blue jumper as he pulled his knees up so the soles of his feet lay flat on the ground. Shino just looked on, contemplating what should be said to break the awkward silence.

"You want to know what happened…don't you." Kiba asked, still fiddling with his sleeves, Shino merely nodded in response, he knew Kiba saw the movement from the corner of his eye, as his irises flickered for a moment. Kiba's finally turned to look at the other boy "Shino I-"

"You do not have to tell me" he paused "I do, as you say, want to know what happened" there was another pause, Kiba could feel Shino's gaze harden with seriousness "but, if you are not ready to tell me, I will force nothing out of you" for the first time in weeks, Kiba let a small, genuinely happy smile grace his features for a few moments before it was gone again when he turned to look at the horizon, Shino already missed it.

**- Kiba -**

I had to turn away, I had to stop the tears falling, and I didn't need to burden him. I mean, if I started crying, he'd no doubt try to get me to talk. It's not that I didn't like the fact that he was here – which I'm not too enthusiastic about anyway, it's just that fact that I can't seem to get more then ten minutes of alone time, I can feel a sad smile on my face as my mind wonders over the rain. I never used to like it; in fact, I hated it with a passion. The exact words I said to Shino one day, years ago. But right now, it's the only thing that makes me feel clean, it makes me feel like it's washing away all the wrong I've ever done. That botched mission for one. I let Akamaru get hurt and I made everyone worry, that's another thing I did wrong. I lied to them "I'm sorry I lied" I mumble, it almost sounded like a sigh as every word escaped my lips. And what that guy did to me…that was my fault too, I should have been more careful. That's one of my biggest sins, sex out of wedlock. I'm not saying I'm big on the whole 'God will punish you if you defy him' thing but, I can't help but think like that right now, and I'm not saying that people _shouldn't_ have sex out of wedlock, by all means if you want to, do it. But I…I was saving myself for someone special, and now…I have nothing _to_ save.

But I guess I still hope to have someone special, not that anyone would want me if they knew what happened. I'm just spoiled now, no good at all. I shudder as I try to hold back a cry of despair. _Shino_ I suddenly think, he is _always_ there when I need him, like when we were on the mission, I could swear he caught me when I passed out…and I'm pretty sure he was the one who carried me to the…_hospital_… Kami, I hate that place. I choke down a sob and a tear falls from my eyes and I rub furiously at it, growling in frustration.

Suddenly there is an arm across my back, catching me on my left shoulder, I yelp as I'm pulled to the right, then my head meets green, a green jacket, Shino's jacket. I get a feel for my new position and from what I can tell, my head is resting on the crook of Shino's neck, my cheek is on his collar bone and I can just about hear his heart beat, it is calm and steady, just as one would expect of him "just _cry_" he whispers in my ear imploringly. I shake my head, still on his shoulder, he's warm I like it, I like the warmth. Without warning his hand is on my cheek, he strokes it with his thumb, in small circles "_please_" he insists. My lips shakes, it's getting increasingly harder to hold my tears at bay, he wipes a newly fallen tear away, and that's it, I'm gone, I let go, everything. My tears are falling freely as I cry into his chest, letting out anguished cries and choked sobs as I go along. Shino does nothing to stop me, he encourages me, whispering "cry, just cry" in my ear every so often, I don't know how and I don't know when but somehow, I had shifted so my legs lay across his lap and I clung to his jacket, like a life-line, I don't really understand why he's doing this. It won't help in the long run.

The rain is letting up slightly now, I can feel it the droplet's aren't as heavy as they used to be, but they haven't slowed down at all, I pull away from his chest and look up at Shino, my eyes are no doubt red and puffy from all my crying "I wasn't lying when I said it hurt…you know…" I whisper through a choked sob, he nods at me. I understand perfectly what that means; it means 'I know you wouldn't lie about that' I shoot him a sad, grateful smile, I was right. Right in thinking he was always there when I needed him, he was there then and he's right here…right now… "Shino…" I breathe out, I stopped thinking my actions over. I can feel myself moving forward, I can feel the blush raising on my cheeks and across the bridge of my nose, my hand reaching for the rim of Shino stupidly high collar, I watch my hand as I pull it down, and I smile slightly. His lips are pulled into a quizzical frown, I'm still leaning forward, I'm so close now, really close…my lips meet his, my eyes are closed, even if they were open I'd never be able to tell if his were open in shock. Neither of our lips move, but I decide to add pressure, nibbling lightly on his lower lip. Suddenly I realize how wrong this is – I pull away…

**- Shino -**

That had been the single most confusing event of my life, Kiba looks frantic, his lips definitely look kissed, they are slightly pinker then before. The seconds before the kiss - that was strange. He had looked at me with what I can pinpoint as need, he _needed_ me? Perhaps Hinata was right. Perhaps I do over-think things "I-I'm really, _really_ Sorry Shino!" Kiba says frantically "Really- I really am _so,_ so _sorry!_" He says again "I don't know why I did tha-" I hold up my hand to silence him, Kiba blinks confusedly at me.

"It is fine" I say simply, making to stand, I shift and Kiba moves his legs, eyes wide with confusion.

"Wha…" he gaze follows me as I begin my walk towards the village; I turn and look at him for a moment.

"I said: it was fine" I state again, he's gaping at me now, struggling for words, I hold up my hand again and he shuts his mouth with an audible click "come" I state "you will catch a cold if you stay out here much longer" I watch as he nods dumbly and scrambles to get to my side "I want to see you well at training tomorrow" I state, he nodded again, the blush still on his cheeks. He looks nervous and unsure, I decide not to worry about it; it will pass.

**(A/N: So, did you like it? I know it was a long one, longer then usual. But still, I hope this meets your expectations)**


	10. Canine affection

Authors note: Yayy! An update, I have been waiting SO long to update, I'm really happy because I finished an old story of mine so, I have less pressure on my shoulders. One more story to finish and I can focus completely on this; my new favourite creation. **(really long one today…)**.

Disclaimer: Naruto is a moron. Poor Shino…he has to deal with Naruto's idiocy, I don't own Naruto. I'd much rather own Kiba.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter ten: Canine affection.

**- Hana -**

I woke up the sound of someone slamming a draw shut downstairs, it sounded like it was coming from the kitchen. It can't be morning already can it? My eyes flutter open groggily, I growl when I notice the time on my alarm clock. It's the freaking middle of the night, and _someone_ is in the _kitchen_ making _noise_. I hope to Kami it's a burglar, I can't wait to beat his head in…no one wakes up Inuzuka Hana. Not unless it's important…or my alarm clock.

Sitting up in my bed, I glare tiredly at the door, getting up I trudge downstairs and take the first door on my right there is definitely someone in there, obviously looking for food. I growl lowly in my throat and throw the door open. I gape when I see who it is. Kiba. Kiba is sat on the kitchen table with his leg's crossed looking innocently at me…with a…spoon in his mouth and a…jar of peanut butter? What the hell is he doing with a jar of peanut butter?!

As if answering my question, he mumbles "m'ungry" with the spoon still in his mouth. He is still looking at me in a sort of naïve innocence…how am I supposed to murder him for waking me up now?! I groan tiredly and move to lean on the kitchen counter top. I watch as he takes the spoon from his mouth, it's clean from whatever used to be on it before, I'm guessing peanut butter. He digs the spoon in the jar and takes it back into his mouth, acting as if I never came into the kitchen and started watching him like a hawk does a mouse.

"It's the middle of the night…" I groan and he looks at me and smiles nervously, the spoon still hanging from his mouth, he mumbles something incoherent, it must have been a 'sorry' or something because he's looking at me with large, apologetic orbs. They don't stay that way for long, as he turns back to eating the peanut butter. I'm still annoyed about that. He woke me up to eat peanut butter?! What the hell?! I sigh, "Peanut butter?" I ask flatly.

"Mm-hmm," he nodded frantically, I raise an eyebrow and he continues "M meawly, meawly man'ed mhemumu'er" I roll my eyes.

"Spoon _out_ of your mouth, please" he looked down at the spoon, going almost cross-eyed, he pulled a face like he thought he would be understandable with a spoon with a wad of peanut butter on it in his mouth. He took it out after a moment, the spoon was clean again and he looked at me.

"I just really, really wanted peanut butter" he repeated with a thoughtful smile. At that a raise my brow again, in thought this time. Why after all this time of not eating was he sitting _on _the kitchen table scoffing peanut butter? I frowned. Something didn't fit. At least not anything I could think of. I vaguely wondered if he was ill or something. I'd have to ask Ma about it tomorrow- later in the morning, when Kiba has gone to meet up with his team for training. I feel almost sorry for Kiba, having to deal with Kenshi so much. But then again, those two do have the oddest relationship this world has ever seen. I sighed, I'd think about it later.

"How much?" I asked and he shrugged looking thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"I dunno'" he supplied "I couldn't stay in bed for more then five seconds if that's what you mean…" he looked at the jar in his hand with a pensive frown gracing his features "I just…woke up with this weird craving" he paused "anything with nuts in it" he broke out into a smile and chuckled lightly raising the jar into the air as if presenting it to me "and look what I found" he laughed out.

I look at him, a bored expression present on my face "whatever" I say with a sigh "take the jar and go to bed" he nods and I make to leave with Kiba on my tail, I'm too tired to care about much except sleep. And that's what I was going to do. Sleep. Good night- morning world…I'll see you later.

* * *

"Deidara-senpai!" Said blond rolled his eyes with a scowl present on his face. Trust leader to send that annoying runt on a mission to Konoha with him. Why if Sasori no Danna was still here he'd be having some sort of artistic debate about what art actually was. Man, he missed those. Even if they were the only way he could get a raise out of Sasori. Damned puppet man was always so uppity, it pissed him off beyond belief, but it was always fun. There was shuffling but Deidara close to ignore it. His eyes grew wide when an orange mask came into view very close to his face "Deidara-senpai?" his sapphire eyes narrowed, too close. The blond growled and punched the masked figure on the side of the head.

He sat up abruptly "what the hell is it Tobi!?" he growled menacingly "and don't dare get that close again! Not unless you _want _me to kill you!" he said whilst raising a fist to add to the threat.

"Tobi is sorry!" Tobi exclaimed put his hands out in front of him defensively "Tobi just thinks we should get going…we've rested for a long time" nodding in agreement Deidara stood brushing dirt off his cloak, at least there was one good aspect of this mission. He might just be able to see his lion again. After all, he was only monitoring the village's security. Leader had said he needed to know when things such as shift changes were or where the least amount of security was.

"For once, I agree with you, yeah" he jumped to the next branch across from his own, with a mischievous yet manic smile present on his features "let's go" was all that was said. Tobi followed behind, headed towards Konoha. He knew Deidara was going to be cranky about being away from the base. He'd be missing his appointment with Sasori. For some reason the blond always liked to sit outside and talk to himself as if he were talking to someone else, presumably Sasori, at the same time once a week in the same tree. although he knew they didn't get along all the time. Tobi knew that Deidara and Sasori considered each other to be friends – or at least the closest thing to one.

"Tobi is a good boy" he smiled underneath his mask.

"You are…" Deidara replied not looking back as they travelled from tree to tree.

* * *

Now with morning well and truly upon Konohagakure, Kenshi made his way out of the Hokage building, after completing some paperwork on a previous mission only to be stopped by three small bodies running past him and into the missions collections area. Where'd he'd just come from "Konohamaru-kun, matte!" shouted a little girl, she looked about eight to nine-ish, she snorted and took another step as they ran past him.

"Konohamaru-kun!" shouted some snot-nosed kid

"Moegi, Udon! Hurry up!" shouted the boy in front, assuming that kid was the Konohamaru guy, Kenshi let out a little chuckle '_who names their kid Konohamaru…seriously…_' "We have to hand in that mission report!" the boy said, still running, from what he could tell they were only genins.

"But Konohamaru-kun!" the snot-nosed kid protested.

"Hurry up!" Wow, Kenshi rolled his eyes. Even _he_ wasn't that demanding of his team mates. Although, they had got him curious now, what could be so important about a D-rank mission and what the hell was that little girl carrying in that bag. He turned on his heels and headed back the way he came running a hand through his long black bangs as he went.

He frowned when he entered the large room again, to see Tsunade with disappointed frown on her face and that Iruka guy with a frown of his own, it wasn't disappointed but it was a sad one. A few others choosing to ignore the situation "You fail" the Hokage stated, writing something down on a parchment '_whoa…how does someone fail a D-rank…?_' Kenshi thought to himself.

"But Hokage-baa-san!" the Konohamaru kid protested.

"You fail Konohamaru that is final!" she retorted, Kenshi blinked '_she really does have a short temper…_' he sighed to himself, he'd never been one to keep his mouth shut about things like this, so he didn't. He walked forward confidently, with a casual grin on his face.

Stepping quietly behind the oblivious children, who were still trying to get the Hokage to pass their mission, they had been so busy doing that they didn't even notice the Hokage had a small, almost evil smirk on her face, nor did they notice Shizune look directly at the man behind them "Fail what?" Kenshi asked curiously, making the three Genin's jump in surprise.

"Their mission" Tsunade replied coolly.

"Which was to…?" Kenshi fished around curiously at which Tsunade rolled her eyes and sighed, looking from the Genin's to the foreign Chuunin.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Konohamaru shouted angrily, going largely ignored by the adults in conversation.

"Retrieve Tora the lost pet" at that Kenshi tilted his head with a raised brow curiously to which Tsunade sighed and continued "a cat" it was then that Kenshi turned to the young Genins with an expectant look.

"And did you?" the girl, Moegi nodded sadly and pointed at the black bag that sat beside her, miserably, Kenshi knelt down by the bag on the balls of his feet, he sniffed the air around it and visibly gagged "care to tell me _why_ it's in a bag" not that he needed any more confirmation then it's horrendous stench, well, it wasn't bad, not with a normal nose but with the Inuzuka's nose, it was vile.

"I-It's dead…" Moegi said toeing the ground shamefully "we found it like that" beside her Udon sniffled and Konohamaru grunted in annoyance.

"This is why they failed?" Kenshi asked, standing up not really wanting to stay close to the dead cat, Tsunade nodded "why?" he asked, his voice held annoyance and curiosity "Their mission was to retrieve the cat, which they did, what's the problem?"

"It's dead," the Hokage replied shortly "that's the problem"

At that Kenshi smirked "no. That's not the problem at all, there is no problem. The mission was to retrieve the cat, they did that. But, there was nothing in that mission stating that Tora had to be brought back alive" he leaned over the table and looked at the mission statement, grinning when he noticed he was indeed correct and that The genin's were gaping at him in shocked awe. After a few moments silence Tsunade sighed.

"Very well" she said tiredly "you pass" with that the three Genin's erupted into cheer and Kenshi silently slipped away, not wanting to ruin their 'happy time' as he liked to call it.

A few minutes later and he found himself outside of the Hokage's building; he sighed and ran a hand through the loose bangs of his hair that frames his face, and placing the other gloved hand in the pocket of his trousers. Kenshi grumbled angrily when he realized he was already later for training. Apparently Kiba was supposed to be there. He gave a small gleeful grin at the thought '_good to know he's well enough to train…_'

A few more minutes passed and he found himself in the middle of town, he was almost at Team 8's training field. Thank god! He needed to let off some steam; he'd had a rough couple of days. Konoha just doesn't stop moving, there's always something going on- "Hey! You with the black hair!" he rolled his eyes, like now, he turned around only to look wide-eyed at the three Genin's he saw a while ago.

"Yeah?" Kenshi asked with a toothy grin, recovering quickly from his shock.

"That was pretty cool, what you did back there!" said the Konohamaru boy.

The girl, had a small pink blush on her cheeks "Yeah! You're way cooler then Naruto!" at that Kenshi had to laugh, he'd met the blond before, he was an alright guy, but seriously. A ninja in a bight orange jumpsuit, come on…seriously. The boy beside her, Udon nodded in agreement and Kenshi rolled his eyes.

"Yeah…" Kenshi began awkwardly, trying to think of an excuse to leave, which didn't take too long because he _did_ have somewhere he needed to be "Listen," he said "I gotta' go train now, later" he gave a wave of his hand and he turned and left, he was annoyed to find that they did not leave, instead choosing to follow him like lost sheep. '_Man_' he thought '_this is going to be a long day…_'

**- Shino -**

I send another wave of Kikaichuu at Hinata, she looks determinedly at them, her lips are pulled together in a thin line, her eyes are narrowed, at the moment she's concentrating chakra into her hands, slowly her movements gain speed and Kiba stands in a battle stance at my side with Akamaru, waiting for their cue to go. Kiba sniffs the air and a light, confused scowl forms on his face, I am almost sure one of the presences I feel is Kenshi's and his dog's presence, Kagemaru…surely that dog defines evil. But there are at least three more I am not familiar with "Kiba move!" I shout, and dodges a kick Kenshi aimed at my stomach, beside me, Kiba rolls out the way of Kagemaru, who was growling viciously. Hinata has stopped her movements, now having no targets to practice on.

I get out of my battle stance, as does Kiba, who frowns at his cousin, Hinata joins my side. She's still having trouble with Kenshi making a 'flashy entrance' as he called it the first time he did it. Kenshi stands across from me with Kagemaru by side and a cocky grin on his face. I took pleasure in watching it falter as three Genins appeared by his side, he's scowling now "sorry I'm late" he muttered in annoyance "I had to pick up some sheep" at that Kiba takes the liberty of laughing for me as I force down a barely-there chuckle.

"Well someone's popular" Kiba mumbles under his breath, Hinata offers him a sympathetic smile. Kenshi doesn't notice as his eyes are still glued to Kiba, with a small smirk that seemed to suggest he was planning something. He moved rather quickly, ignoring the shocked gasps of the genins both Hinata and I take a step back, Kiba doesn't move an inch, aware of Kenshi's movement. I watch as Kenshi comes face to face with Kiba…their faces are close, awkwardly so. At least in my opinion, their noses are almost touching, Kenshi's mouth is slightly agape, and if I had to say what it looked like, I would say it looked almost suggestive; I refuse to believe it as such.

"I heard that" he mumbled threateningly.

I was slightly amazed to see that Kiba didn't even break out into a grin as he usually would in this situation, his face remained expressionless, I suddenly noticed that Kiba has a fang over his lower lip, making it visible to everyone in the area "who said you weren't meant to?" Kiba asked dully, beside me Hinata blinks confusedly at the scene with a bright pink blush on her cheeks. She must be thinking what I am.

Kenshi smirked "Hn" his eyes flickered to Kiba's lips and then connected with his eyes again "feelin' better mutt?"

"Much" Kiba replied simply, finally breaking out into a small triumphant, yet also seductive smirk, it seemed to be a smirk reserved only for Kenshi. I've never seen it anywhere else "flea bag" he said after a short pause.

"Good" he mumbled, he voice held a slightly cruel edge, taking a gloved hand to Kiba's right cheek and cupping it, smoothing his thumb on the skin just under Kiba's eye "because…" he leans in closer to Kiba, I clench my fist in my pockets, restraining myself from flinging myself forwards and throwing Kenshi to the ground and beating him into next week, I blink. Where the hell did that come from? "I'm about to make it a whole…" close now "lot…" closer "worse…" his lips brush Kiba's before he tilts his head to the left, giving Kiba a good, long lick over his left tattoo, his eyes are wide and he had a deep pink blush on his cheeks, suddenly Kiba's eyes flicker to me and he pales visibly.

"Ke-aagh!" suddenly Kiba is thrown to the floor with a thump, he groans and sits up moving his hand to the back of his head, to try and dull the pain of the ache, once again Kenshi moves quickly, grabbing Kiba's wrist and squeezing it tightly, Kiba cried out in pain, my own wince had gone unnoticed, I have a feeling Neither of them want this to be interrupted, especially not Kenshi, he's looks almost eerily calm, I say almost because he has a light scowl on his face. Beside me Hinata silently shoos the Genin's to take the offer up and scram.

Kenshi is once again up close to Kiba who is wincing from the pain "What's with all the submissive behaviour, mutt!" Kiba's eyes widened. I am not sure what the significants of this conversation is but I could tell it wasn't so much a question, especially when Kiba cried out again as Kenshi tightened his grasp on Kiba's wrist.

"S-Su-submissive-" Kiba stuttered out shakily "argh-" Kenshi began digging his nailing into Kiba's wrist, he was whimpering now, no doubt Kenshi was going to end up breaking his wrist if he didn't stop soon. Hinata tries to say something but I hold up a hand silently, and reluctantly agrees to stay quiet. This seems to be some sort of clan issue; I do not want to interrupt it. Either that or it is a personal matter, and I myself have no place in other's personal lives. Although, I am not sure how much more of this I can endure.

"You would have pushed away long before I got so close to you" he growled in Kiba's ear as he let out another pained cry, I hadn't noticed until now, but Akamaru and Kagemaru are growling at one another, this definitely goes deeper then I thought "why didn't you Kiba!?" he yelled, Hinata has hidden herself behind me, clinging to my jacket, shaking. Kenshi is doing more then scaring Kiba; he's frightening his other team mates too.

"I-I don't know!" Kiba cried out, his voice laced with pain, he was shaking, visibly to boot, growling, Kenshi let's go of Kiba's wrist and takes hold of the collar of his plain white tee-shirt, yanking him to his feet, Kiba gasps at the movement. Kenshi lets him go once he's steady on his feet, his breathing is harsh and he's still shaking. I blink, and ready myself, Kiba's swaying "S-Shino…" he mumbles weakly, taking a hand to his head, Kenshi watches with a curious eye "…I-I…don't feel so great…" he said below a whisper, after which he began to plummet the ground, I lunge forward and prepare to catch him but – Kenshi got there first, I have to prevent a glare crossing my features, how dare he. How _dare_ he frighten and hurt my friend to wits end and then catch him. How dare he even be able to consider such an act after what he just did!

I watch, still angered as Kenshi checks over Kiba's body, he stops at Kiba's good wrist "Shit…" he muttered "he's gotten thinner…" I blink now. I am very confused, does he or does he not care about Kiba? This is certainly a very odd relationship, Kiba's eyes flicker open slowly, and they seem to be shinning with confusion, I move to his side and kneel down.

"That is the first time I have ever seen you faint" I mused out loud, Hinata moves next to me, a look of concern sweeping over her features.

"K-Kiba-kun, are you alright?" she asked and he nodded, looking between Hinata and myself.

"Fine…" he said "Just got a little dizzy, that's all…" I frown lightly, fainting? Dizziness? This must have something to do with his lack of food "I'm sorry if I worried you…" he's looking at me now, suddenly I have Kiba's around me in, what I suppose is an apologetic hug, I return the hug, if only for a few seconds before I notice Kenshi shift.

"Kiba?" he asked quietly, Kiba lets go of me and looks over at Kenshi, who has a saddened look in his eyes. They stare at one another for about a minute as silent words are spoken between them, Kiba shifts after a moment, and sits across from Kenshi staring at him intensely, Kenshi doesn't leave Kiba's gaze. One again they are awkwardly close together, slowly, Kiba lifts his arms and wraps them around Kenshi's neck, Kenshi does the same, but around Kiba's waist. They are both on their knees now and Hinata has turned on her heels to give them privacy as she blushes a deep pink. Whereas, I cannot look away, I am very curious as to what will happen, and this time I _will_ stop Kenshi from harming Kiba.

Everything is dead silent when Kiba leans forwards, to my relief, although I can't think why, Kiba leans to the right giving Kenshi countless licks rather hastily. I wonder what it means. Could he be doing that by way of forgiveness? I think so. Kenshi eventually does the same to Kiba's left cheek, licking much slower, at this point I can gladly say. 'I will _never_ understand the Inuzuka clan' My eyes widen as Kenshi's tongue darts over Kiba's lips for just a second, Kiba opens his eyes and nods Giving Kenshi one more long lick on the cheek before standing again.

"U-Umm…I'm going to go home and erm…rest…I guess. S-See you later" he waved and jogged off with Akamaru by his side, I did not return the wave, nor did I really notice him leave, but I do know that the training session did not last much longer before we all decided it would be best to call it a day.

**(A/N: Yeah…so, that was it? So admittedly the licking was weird but don't freak, there's a reason for that and I'll get there eventually. That chapter was very Kenshicentric, wasn't it?)**


	11. Under lock and key

**Authors note: Arg, the last story I have to finish is SO tiresome, no focusing yet... Oh yeah…and I probably won't do any of those weekly meeting anymore. It's too troublesome (slight language).**

Disclaimer: I own me, myself and I, but I wish I owned Kiba.

Beautiful liar;

Chapter eleven: Under lock and key.

Once again Kiba found himself at the Inuzuka breakfast table in the kitchen. Tsume had banned him from training once again when she had heard from Kenshi about his collapse, and for that he was not happy. In fact he was so unhappy about it that he snapped at anyone who even looked at with something akin to disappointment, why? He didn't know, all he knew is that he didn't deserve that look. He also knew he hated it when people gave him pitying looks. He hated pity, especially when he didn't need it, what was there to pity exactly, him? He didn't deserve that either. For some reason he didn't like getting smiled at either. It felt like he was being mocked. What reason did he have to be made a fool out of? He didn't know. That's another thing that annoyed him, he felt like he didn't know anything at all.

But one good thing about this was that Kenshi wasn't actually staying with them, no, he had been given a visitors apartment near the centre of town. Although he did come round a lot, but he hasn't recently. He was out on a mission with the rest of team 8 '_I think they're due back later…_' he thought to himself as he ran a spoon through a bowl of cereal. Beside him he heard Hana give and exasperated sigh, by the time he had looked over to her, she was already leaning over the table with his spoon in her hand and a small helping of cereal in it "what're you, afraid of food?" She asked bringing the spoon to Kiba's closed mouth, stopping short "open your mouth" she said gently, he shook his head, glaring at her defiantly. It had been then she decided it would be a good time to walk around the table and pinch his nose shut tightly.

Kiba was shocked and therefore gasped at the gesture "H-mph" the spoon was shoved in his open mouth and begrudgingly he chose to eat it instead of wasting perfectly good food. All the while, Tsume smiled in amusement; if she had thought of that sooner then she wouldn't be considering what she was. She frowned when she examined her son, who was now slowly making his way through his meal on his own; it was a sad thing to admit that your son might be ill, he was definitely thinner in the three weeks he'd been back he was definitely thinner. It was a shame she hadn't spotted it earlier.

"The Kazekage is arriving today" Tsume said into her cup of jasmine tea, she smiled inwardly when she saw Kiba perk up at the name, she'd heard what happened all those years during the Sai retrieval mission and how the Kazekage's brother saved his life, her brows furrowed for a moment, she had yet to thank him properly for that.

"Kankuro's coming too?" he asked with a grin and Tsume nodded with a sad smile '_too bad you won't get to greet him, pup…_' she thought mournfully, the room quietened as if the Inuzuka children sensed their mothers thoughts were not on the happy occasion to which the sand siblings would be visiting their village, but on something else. Hana seemed to be on the same wave length as her mother and mimicked her frown.

"Kiba" Tsume began, "you're going into hospital" she stated bluntly.

Kiba gaped for a few seconds before exploding "what the _hell_ for?!" he shouted, standing from his seat "I'm not even ill!" he gave Tsume a hard glare before continuing "would you mind telling me what I _have?_ And then, maybe I'll consider going freely"

"Both your sister and I think you have anorexia" Tsume answered gravely, Hana looked to the floor, not wanting to see the hurt and disbelief lacing her brother's eyes. She could hear his breathing, just barely, it was coming out in slow ragged breaths, it seemed like he was too busy trying to breath to talk. But both Inuzuka women could tell he was trying to force something passed his lips, so they waited.

"M-Ma…" he began shakily "I-I'm fine…" he tried again, gulping "h-honestly…I'm fi-"

"Then how do you explain the lack of appetite!" Tsume interrupted, outraged at being out-right lied to "Hana, go to the hospital and tell them to get a room ready" reluctantly Hana nodded and hurried out the house, taking Akamaru with her so he can go outside and play with the other dogs, Tsume turned back to Kiba "you've been fainting for the love of Kami! You can't expect me to continue ignoring your condition!"

"Ma, I'm always hungry! I just _can't_ eat!" he retorted angrily "I try! I do, really…I try…" he continued weakly. He looked to the floor, trying to keep the tears from falling. It's not that he knew he was anorexic, because he was pretty sure he wasn't. He didn't even think he was fat, and he wasn't being pressured into being skinny. He just wouldn't eat. He was trying to hold back the tears because he knew once he let them fall he'd explode, tell her everything: the mission, the rape…that man…everything. He was going to tell her…he promised the Hokage he'd tell her, but he wasn't ready yet, not ready at all…

"Can't?" Tsume asked sceptically "more like _won't_" she growled out angrily, Kiba's head shot up, scowling even through the tears still rimming his eyes.

"Why don't you _trust me_?!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, he didn't like this, he was starting to feel dizzy again, he was angry and he was frustrated and to top it all off all he wanted to do was _cry_; but he wouldn't- no _couldn't_ cry, not anymore. He cried once and that's all he needed, he didn't want someone else finding him in a vulnerable situation like that again. He was an emotional wreck already; he didn't want to wreck everything else. His scowl deepened at the thought, it seems he can't even get that right, how was he supposed to get out of this now? He ran a hand through his hair roughly, still scowling.

**- Shino -**

I had only returned to Konohagakure five minutes ago with Kenshi, we had had a two day mission, I don't want to go into details but I can safely say that it ended in success. Both Kenshi and I had expressed concern over Kiba in one way or the other and were currently headed to the Inuzuka compound to check on him. The incident two days ago had shocked us both. But upon arrival we were both stopped dead in our tracks, yelling could be heard in the Inuzuka home, it wasn't a one-sided yelling match either. From what I could tell it was Tsume, her strong voice was unmistakeable. She seemed to be arguing with Kiba. I could never forget his voice even if I tried; it had been engraved into my mind over the years.

Kenshi looks at me gravely and I nod, who knows what's going on in that house, we did not get far into our investigation as once we had taken at least two steps further towards the house the door swung open to reveal Kiba yelling into the house "for the last time" he shouted angrily "I am _not_ ill" he began, still shouting "I am _not _anorexic!" anorexic, that's a new development, "and I _am not_ going to that white-walled hell!"

Both Kenshi and I stood very still "white-walled hell?" Kenshi asked over Tsume shouting 'Damn it Kiba!' Kiba was lent against the door frame in a pair of Black three-quarter length trousers and a red three-quarter length sleeve shirt and his black sandal shoes- the ones he used for missions I think, his breathing was heavy and he was holding his head, eyes closed – dizziness most likely.

"It is his reference to the hospital" I say monotonously, beside me Kenshi chuckled and nodded to himself, probably thinking about how similar their thoughts on hospitals were. I bow my head in thought as Kiba catches his breath "is it possible that Kiba is indeed anorexic?" I muse aloud.

"No" comes the breathless voice of Kiba, I look at him, he's pale now. Slowly he makes his way towards us, stumbling only slightly, all three of us seem to be ignoring Tsume as she rants on about Kiba and the hospital. He was in front of me now; he falls forwards slightly, catching himself. I find his arms around my neck, he looks pleadingly at me, "Shino" he breaths out, I find I have to keep myself from capturing his lips…where do these things keep coming from? I wonder to myself "make her stop…" he begs "I don't wanna' go" his arms tighten around me "just…make her stop"

I can see Tsume standing in the doorway, although I'm not sure when she got there, Kenshi gives a small, two fingered salute to her with a grin and then turns back to myself and Kiba, I take hold of his upper arms and pry him off gently, I look into his eyes and I frown sadly, he looks lost and hurt "Kiba" I say gently, he's struggling for words, unsure of what to say to me, I am in a similar state, although, I am better at hiding it. That is one of Kiba's weak points, if he is angry, he will show it, as I will not.

"You don't think I'm ill…do you?" I am unsure what to say to that, so I stay quiet which, as it may seem was the wrong thing to do, simply because after a few moments he's practically gaping in horror "…you do…" he breaths out, looking shocked.

"Kiba" I stated, trying to keep the uncertainty out of my voice, and it works for the most part.

"No!" he shouts defiantly "Hell will freeze over before I _willingly_ step foot into that medicinal prison!" Kenshi forces back a chuckle, admittedly that was a funny one but it would be inappropriate to laugh at a time like this. Kiba does come up with the most creative names for things at random points in the day, but…

I put my hand on his cheek and he tries to pull away but I use my other hand to keep him there, slowly I draw him closer, our faces are about an inch apart "then Hell gets to keep it's fire" I say, he blinks confusedly at me, my right hand slides down to his neck and I lift it as if I am to brush hair out of his face.

"Wha-" my hand comes down on the nape of his neck in a chopping motion "-ugh" I catch him as he falls, laying limply against my chest, Kenshi can't help but chuckle as I rearrange Kiba's position in my arms. Tsume is gaping at me in shock; I walk up to her, carrying Kiba's unconscious form bridal style.

"Playing dirty I see, you know Shino, you ain't all that bad" Kenshi says following my lead, I shake my head.

"No" I state "Kiba is stubborn and as such would not easily let go of his dislike for hospitals, even if it is for the sake of his health," I then nod to myself "also, he is not going against his word. He will not willingly step into the hospital because I will be carrying him" I sigh as I stand in front of Tsume, who is only just recovering from the shock of her sons best friend knocking him out "I also happen to believe that if Kiba is ill, the best place for him is the hospital"

"Y'really think he's got anorexia?" Kenshi asks as all three of us head towards the hospital.

I shake my head slowly "it is doubtful, but if he does, I want him in the hospital"

Nodding her head in agreement Tsume takes the lead of the group. She had probably been prepared for a lot of chasing, tying up and dragging to the hospital but this just makes her life easier "Let's hurry, I sent Hana ahead so they should have a room ready for us when he get there" she states, and I nod.

* * *

Later that afternoon the village of Konoha welcomed the Kazekage and his siblings, almost all of the not-so-rookie nine where there. Shino wasn't there; Chouji wasn't there nor was Sakura, Sasuke or Hinata, three of whom were on a mission to one place or the other. Team Gai was able to make it of course, well, not Tenten, she was on a mission with Gai. They all waited at the gates, waving as Gaara, Temari and Kankuro to meet with them. Each of the sand-nins had an escort. Gaara was to be escorted by Neji, Temari got Naruto (oh dear) and Kankuro was matched with Mr. Lazy himself – Nara Shikamaru.

Two out of three of the sand siblings returned the greetings, the youngest of the group, simply gave a small smile. Kankuro grinned largely when Naruto started blabbering about nothing to Gaara with Temari engaged in a battle of wits with Shikamaru, there was a loud bark and Kankuro turned his head to the left only to be tackled by a giant white ball of fluff, he hit the ground with a thud and 'oof!' he blinked confusedly up the at dog on top of him "Akamaru?" He asked, receiving a happy bark and numerous licks. He chuckled lightly pushing Akamaru off him "yeah, yeah, I missed you too, now get off you're crushin' me" he laughed out, ignoring the fact that he was covered in dog and most of his Kabuki war paint had been licked off. He stood up examining the crowd further, with a hand still on Akamaru's head "where's the mutt?" he asked.

At that everyone seemed to quieten down, Ino seemed to be the only one willing to talk "you haven't heard?" she asked.

Sighing Kankuro regarded her with a bored face "yes, we just got here and we instantly know everything" he said sarcastically, at that she laughed and smiled sheepishly.

"Oops, sorry…I forgot…" she sighed and continued on "Kiba's been admitted to hospital…" this seemed to spark the attention of all three siblings, and others in the group who had yet to hear this new piece of gossip.

"Is he hurt?" Kankuro asked, worry trimming his tone.

"No" Ino continued unsurely.

"Then what's up with him?" Kankuro pressed, gravely.

"They think he has anorexia" she said looking at the ground nervously.

"Holy shit" Kankuro breathed out shocked, of all the people to get something like that…it had to be the mutt…did he have self-confidence issues or something? It didn't sound like him, nah; the mutt was always way too over-confident to care what others thought about him, at least, that's what Kankuro thought.

"We can visit him, right?" Temari asked noticing Kankuro was in some sort of daze, at that Ino nodded.

"Let's go" Gaara said plainly, he had met the Inuzuka a few times before and well, he couldn't complain. Kiba was a nice guy, very protective of his team mates, a good quality in a shinobi. It was a shame one such as himself had landed in this position.

* * *

Lying in a hospital bed Kiba laid in a half-aware state, a while ago he had been given a small sedative to calm him down after flat-out refusing to wear a hospital gown and attacking some unfortunate nurse who had gone home traumatized. It was only after that did they have to get the field-medics to hold him down and inject him, whilst putting a chakra seal on his right arm that only the Hokage could remove. So all in all, Kiba lay weak and vulnerable in a hospital bed, in a forced relaxed state. He was so out of it that he didn't even think about worrying if his rapist knew about his current state.

**- Kiba -**

This room is unbearable, the glass for the window is unbreakable and door is made of metal. I know I said medicinal prison before but, not in the literal sense. I stare blankly out the window, knowing, just knowing I screwed up. I had always known I should at least attempt to hide my appetite, or in this case, lack thereof. But I couldn't… I couldn't bring myself to eat. I guess I thought that deep down inside I didn't deserve the food I was given, or any food for that matter. So, I guess…I guess I just stopped.

A bird flies by the window of my prison, as if mocking me with its freedom and its carefree existence, momentarily distracting me from my chain of thought - Anyway, I stopped eating because…I guess I felt ashamed of myself? But as I think about it now, where is practically starving myself going to get me? I'm not sure but…that still doesn't mean I can't just put my emotions on hold and scoff a beef burger or something.

I can hear foot steps on the other side of the door, a lot of them, they all smell familiar but I choose to ignore them. Next to the metal door there is a one-sided viewing glass, simply because it's black and I can't see through it, that's what I assume it is, so they can watch me, and I can go about being bed-ridden undisturbed. I grow annoyed at the thought and I wish I could throw something breakable which really sucks because I've already thrown everything that breaks.

I want a new vase.

The lock on the door clicks and it swings open slowly, I could probably guess who entered but…I'd rather just watch the view of my window "Hey" I know that voice, the door shuts again, I can hear it the door as it is locked again "Are you okay, mutt?" at that I just start laughing, it wasn't a strong or a loud laugh, it was a weak one but regardless of my state, I know, from the sound of my voice, I seem a little nuts. Kankuro is so funny, either that or the meds are getting to me.

"Wow…" I mumble though my laughing fit "you seem…like you actually care" I laugh again, it's slightly louder, I quieten after a while and turn my head slowly to look at him. He winced slightly, guess I'm thinner then he expected. But then I think about it, I'm not that thin, sure I'm not as meaty as I was, but I'm not skin and bones either…just short of…slightly lanky? Putting the weight back no won't be hard. All I have to do it let go of that weight on my shoulders and BAM I can eat again. I stifle a chuckle when I look him over "what's with your face?" I ask tiredly.

"My…face?" he asked slowly.

I sniff the air "yeah…you're covered in Akamaru's slobber and you look like a crazy artist attacked you in the street and bitch-slapped you with a purple paint-covered brush" On the other side of the door, Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto and Temari had to stifle their laughs. At least it smelled like them, but Kankuro on the other hand, did chuckle he also nodded and grinned.

"Your dog jumped me" we both chuckled and I pointed to the on suite bathroom weakly with my finger.

"Wash up" I gave a lopsided grin, partly because I knew I wouldn't be able to pull off a real grin and partly because the drugs have made my muscles lazy, a few minutes later Kankuro emerged from the bathroom, face clean.

"So," Kankuro began "_are_ you okay?" at that I shake my head, chuckling darkly and smiling bitterly up at Kankuro.

"No actually" I say matter-of-factly yet tonelessly "I'm not" I sigh dejectedly "I woke up with morning and then I get accused of being anorexic – which by the way, I'm not. Then, here's the good part" I chuckle, a bitter tinge in my tone "I get taken here against my will, but no, that's not the best part" I mumble "no, the best was that Shino" I scowl as the name leaves my lips "_Shino_ knocks me unconscious to get me here…"

**- With the others -**

"Shino-kun?" Lee asked, shocked at the new piece of information, almost everyone is looking at him in disbelief, it hurt them all to see their friend in such a state, but it hurt them more to find that their friend was betrayed – Kiba's best friend betrayed him.

The Aburame sighed "it was either this or watch and do nothing as his health deteriorates, would you like that?" he asked, looking through the glass as he spoke "I do not know about you, but I do not want to stand by and watch my friend refuse help" he turned to the group "if this is the only way to help him then so be it – I _will_ find out what happened to him" it was at that moment that Kankuro decided to knock on the door, signalling that he is ready to leave.

As Sakura – the nurse on duty at the time opened the door, Kankuro waved Kiba goodbye "I'll tell him, I'll see ya' tomorrow, Mutt" Kankuro walked through the door, Sakura closing it behind him, he headed straight for Shino, who stood his ground even when he was being held by the collar of shirt "hey, Bug-boy, Mutt wanted me to tell you you're a dead man" he smirk "he's _pretty_ pissed" he said as he let go.

**(A/N: well, how what that for ya'? I thought it was pretty okay, R&R please) **


	12. Darkened halls

Authors note: I'm sorry it's taken so long to update but I only got one review and that hurt my feelings, oh yeah and due to stuff happening my muse died. But special thanks to **Realdarkangel **for your review, it make me happy D **(Warnings of language).**

Disclaimer: Yeah…I can't be bothered…you know the drill.

Beautiful liar;

Chapter twelve: Darkened halls.

**  
(A month after the mission, and a week since Kiba was admitted to hospital)**

**  
- Kiba -**

Stupid, cold, jerky shower…I hate hospitals. Stupid, cold, uncaring Shino…I hate Shino. Nice, kind, friendly Kankuro…I like Kankuro, it seems like he's the only one who cares… I sigh in annoyance. I'd been here almost a week now and this shower is getting on my last nerves, I want warm water - I think they think its fun to make me suffer like this. It's bad enough I'm _here_ already but they choose to keep me feeling dirty as well? What assholes. I shiver as another wave of water pours down my back; I rub shower gel over my body, making it soapy and bubbly. I smile a small sad smile, the soap's so white…so pure…so, so clean…not like me…I'm just this old…black mucky…filthy dog blanket - my hand runs across my chest and under my armpit and curls around to the edge on my right shoulder blade, I wince slightly when my fingers brush against the angry red scar of the 'p' on my back – I'm covered in stains that just won't come out…

I shake my head, I really, really don't want to think about that right now…just get clean and get to bed…it's late as it is…I stand under the water a while longer, not really paying attention to anything but the shower drain, watching as the soap suds slide down my legs and onto the cold white-tiled floor and seep down the drain pipe. I step out the shower my gaze still on the floor as I walk past the mirror, I really hate looking at myself, I tried to once, but I didn't like what I saw…it wasn't me in that reflection…it looked like me…but it wasn't…its really hard to act all up-beat when your depressed – I guess I sorta' feel like Shikamaru does on a regular basis. Not motivated, Geez.

I grab the white hospital-provided towel and wrap it around my waist and huff loudly, I run my hand along my stomach and scratch idly, I trail upwards. My hand twitches and I pause – where the hell have my abs gone?! I look down, with a shocked and confused expression my face. I blink running my hand up and down my stomach and I grunt – this is what I get for not training for a month, and I worked so hard for my body…now I'll have to start over. I 'Hmm' audibly when I notice a small bulge and I poke my stomach curiously, and then I grunt again – that's okay, it's weight easily worked off. All I have to do is murder Shino and start training again and then I'll be fine and dandy.

It didn't take me long to dry off once I dropped the subject of training and Shino and weight and…ugh…tired…sleep is good, no more thinking… I grab my pyjama pants, just plain old navy blue ones my Ma' brought from home, since the only thing I'd even consider wearing is a hospital issue towel – because it's only temporary. Anyway I pull them on quickly not all that happy with the air making me colder then the water did, and I grab a plain white shirt my Ma' also brought to the hospital since I wasn't about to start parading around showing off my 'pride'.

It's around ten o'clock at night and lights out was around seven but I couldn't sleep so after some pacing and staring and thinking and daydreaming I decided to take a shower and now that was done with, I guess – I yawn – I could…try and go to sleep… As much as I hate the stupid, uncomfortable, itchy hospital bed, it sure does look really appealing right now… I padded over quietly and crawled into bed, and snuggled into my not-so-soft pillow. I doesn't take…long for me to…fall asleep…

* * *

**- Tobi -**

It's been days since we started observing Konohagakure and Deidara-senpai seems a little bit too interested in the place if you ask me. I know it has something to do with his last training session though. I'm still not quite sure what he did – no one's told me all the details. But I know there was a boy involved; a Konoha ninja. Anyway, it's been really weird lately; Deidara-senpai has been slowly getting closer to the village, come to think of it, I haven't seen him for hours and I've been watching the gate for ages, and I'm tired, and I want to sleep and it's his turn to sit and wait for a lapse in security. He should have stopped patrolling the area and come back to switch with me by now.

But you know what – why am I always the one to get left out of the loop in Akatsuki?! I am part of their group now; I should be able to get the full picture. Nobody ever tells me anything, I'm not that much of a loud-mouth. I mean – I tell Itachi that Kisame broke something of his ONCE and I'm labelled untrustworthy FOREVER. No one told me I wasn't _supposed _to tell Itachi-san. Besides, the way I see it. If something happened to someone's things they should know. It's not like I did it on purpose…I still have the scar Kisame gave me… you know how hard he bites? His teeth are sharp. I poke my shoulder and sigh, well the good news is it doesn't hurt anymore.

I can't wait to get back – Deidara-senpai can get so moody sometimes, I think he just needs a good night sleep really. Oh yeah…and to go and talk to that stupid tree he's always sitting in. I don't like it when he isn't around, I get so bored , even though all we do is argue or I make a point and Deidara-senpai yells at me…it's not nice when he yells. He has a nice voice. He should have to waste it on yelling. In fact I'd bet any money he can sing a song so great it'll make you wanna' cry. I think he can sing. I hope he sings. It'll be great if he did. Heh. New personal mission: Get Deidara-senpai to sing.

I smile to myself as I watch the gate…I wonder where Senpai is…

* * *

**- Deidara - **

I smirk to myself; I was patrolling the area when I noticed a lapse in security on the easy end of Konohagakure's great huge wall…well…there wasn't really a wall it was more the top on the fourth Hokage's head. Well anyway the point was I'd made my way – rather stealthfully I might add through Konoha itself which I'm surprised at because this is one of the five great Shinobi nations, yeah. But whatever, I'm not complaining. I couldn't resist staying away from my lion much longer – especially when I heard the Chuunins at the gate gossiping like school girls, they'd said something about my lion which I was all to happy to eavesdrop into, yeah. They said he was in hospital, I knew I'd put him there the first time with his injuries but could he still be here? I didn't hurt him that badly did I? I wonder if I accidentally maimed him… But if I didn't why would he be in there? I couldn't pass up the opportunity to find out!

So eventually I found my way into the hospital, avoiding the security cameras and into the supply closet which I'm currently shuffling through, I sigh when the only disguise I can find is a female nurse uniform, which really sucked because I get enough of being called a girl by Hidan back at the base and this was really pushing it, yeah. I groan and take on my cloak and my mesh shirt as well as my trousers and shoes and don the white uniform and some slippers and that really stupid hat with the first-aid sign on it… I smooth out my dress and head for the door and stop short – I don't have boobs! Shit! I turn around a find a bunch of rags and shove them down my shirt…I hate myself for doing this, yeah. But how can I be a _female_ nurse without boobs… okay so…right now I look like a flat-chested female nurse...with a hat…I sigh, this'll have to do…

I make my way out of the supply closet and close the door behind me and I make a mental note of where this room is – I left my eye-scope in there and tied my hair into a high pony tail, just to have less of a chance at being recognised. As I make my way down a bunch of random halls in search of my lion I am still careful to avoid the cameras. I'm only wearing this stupid disguise because if there was anyone in the same hall as me, they wouldn't panic and ran away screaming "Ahh! Akatsuki!" At the top of their lungs. Oh crap…I forgot about my hands…that's alright…just keep them in my pockets for now…I'll find something to hide them with later…

Eventually I enter a new corridor and I stand still for a moment reading the sign above it 'private ward' it says, I smirk. This could be a good place to start, yeah. I wonder the halls and look through the windows of the doors leading into the patients' rooms; I'm there for about five minutes searching idly. No such luck, I can't find him here, I read the next sign as I pass through the door 'Observation ward' huh? This could be interesting…I wonder what kind of whack-jobs are in here…

I tuck a loose bang behind my ear as I wonder slowly through the ward peering through the one-way windows for a minute at the time – I wouldn't usually have to except for the fact that the lights have been out for what I guess has been hours, I don't know when the lights come on and off in this place, all I know is I don't have a light source and I'm not about to go find a nurse on night-duty and ask for one. To the best of my knowledge there are never many nurses or doctors on a night-shift anyway. So I'll have to make due, yeah.

I grin to myself and clap excitedly when I finally find him…I huff loudly when I notice his back is to the window, with a scowl of annoyance etched onto my face I stomp over to the door and open it- I mean, _attempt_ to open it…the god damned thing's locked, un… after I moment of thought I search my pockets and I don't find anything except a little bit of string, a dust ball, I grimace and throw it hastily to the floor and continue to search my pockets. Eventually something in the back pocket of the uniform pricks my finger – A needle? I pull it out, yup, it's a needle alright. I sigh, fine then, I'll attempt to pick the lock…

Around 10 minutes of tedious fiddling and door-jiggling the door finally gives way to my push. I grin triumphantly and slip inside quietly stepping closer to the sleeping lion. I'm at the foot of his bed, watching him as he dreams, it's obvious he's dreaming because his eyes are fluttering but they aren't open – yeah, he's in the dream world for sure. He looks peaceful, or he would if he didn't look like he was clutching his shirt for dear life and letting out silent screams. He's still pretty attractive though. I 'hmm' quietly to myself in thought for a moment. There's something different about him…I just can't put my finger on it… I take note that the bed sheets are around his waist and he's curled into himself. My eyes wonder to the foot on the bed and stop on the medical chart, I pick it up and my eyes wonder over it slowly. I'm getting really confused now…this is why I hate doctors – I can't understand their lingo… I look at the medical observation section – that looks like it's in legible English. I frown at what I see. He's barely eating and apparently has been sick once or twice and hasn't been an all-around happy camper, not at all. I chuckle at the next thing I read, he really hasn't been happy if he's attacked a nurse… I gasp silently and then smirk – I peered over at the resolution section and I can say I'm more then happy on my part that he's had a chakra seal placed on him by the Hokage herself. This is great, yeah…

My head shoots up when he shifts on the bed, his hand has moved lower and it's now resting on his abdomen, I hold back a chuckle when he attempts to bury himself in his pillow while he sleeps. I look at the patient identification. Kiba. Inuzuka Kiba is his name… how fitting. I put the clipboard back and move to the side on the bed and watch him closely. I can't resist any longer, I lift my hand to caress his cheek lightly and I brush some hair behind his ear with my finger tips. I smirk when the tongue of my hand mouth licks his cheek but I frown again when Kiba recoils from it…he shifted again onto his back his shirt was riding up, I can see his belly button now. I groan to myself when I notice his trousers ride around his hips – oh Kami-sama why do you tempt me so? I think as I gaze up at the white ceiling helplessly – I'm not here to mess around with him, the last thing I need is evidence I was in Konoha.

After a moment my gaze turns back to his stomach – it's sort of flat…I mean…where'd his muscles go? I'd seen them…he had like a four pack or something last time I checked – which, by the way was pretty fun. Had he been slacking off? Out of curiosity I got back to the medical chart my eyes scan it quickly – they widen when I find the cause for admittance, No way in hell did I traumatise him this much! He can't be anorexic! But…I put the chart down and move to his side again, that would explain his lack of muscles, or wouldn't it? If he thought he was fat, wouldn't it make sense to train _more?_ Not less? Gently a run my hand over his stomach, it's pretty smooth, I almost regret the fact I was so rough with him that day…I huff again – it's really annoying thinking of a toy as if it means something… my hand nears his breast bone – I mean Kiba doesn't mean anything at all to me so…why am I here? Oh right, to check up on him. It looks like my toy's broken, yeah. My finger slips down as it meet's Kiba's sternum. I blink and lean forwards to examine it – his stomach looks…kinda' bloated, just a little bit – it's hardly noticeable. But why would it do that if he was anorexic, the tongue of my mouth hand licks at the tanned flesh on the sleeping boy and I pull away quickly, not wanting to awaken him. Something doesn't add up here.

I look around the room and spot a box of latex gloves, pulling a pair out a put them on, much to my dislike – I hate wearing gloves. They make me feel trapped. I sigh loudly and stiffen when Kiba groans and shifts. Quickly I move to the darkest corner in the room by the door, I watch as he sits up groggily in his bed and rubs his eyes for a moment, my eyes widen and I freeze when he brings a hand to his right cheek – the cheek my hand had licked! "Huh?" he questioned groggily – lucky for me he didn't have time to ponder the wetness of his face as he brought his other hand to cover his mouth as he jerk forward slightly "fuck!" he exclaimed quickly and ran without hesitation into the bathroom. I winced when I heard him throwing up, five full minutes later, the noise quietens and I hear him mumbling to himself, I can't really make out the words…I can hear the squeak of sink facets as Kiba – I guess – washes his mouth out. After a moment the taps are turned off and Kiba comes trudging out "stupid…son of a…" I hear him mumble.

"Kiba-san?" I question in my most feminine tone, moving out of the darkness just a little bit. He jumped about three feet in the air when I spoke; he turned to me in a flash.

"W-When did you get in here?" he asked shakily, I have to hold back a chuckle – he's quiet jumpy, did I do that? I smile caringly at him. He didn't smile back; I guess he figured it was a somewhat forced smile.

"Well," I began "I came in while you were in there…" I point to the bathroom, Now, I'm really glad I put the stupid gloves on. He mouths the word 'oh' and slowly moves to his bed and sits on it and looks at me expectantly, it takes me a moment to figure out I'm supposed to be a nurse and I hurried forwards taking hold of the clipboard which thankfully has a pen in a pot next to it "You were sick a again…" I mumble, pretending to scribble it down "how do you feel?" I ask he mumbles incoherently and I pretend I can hear him, nodding one and scribble nothing on the paper "well then, you just rest and I'll send someone in the morning…" I walk out shortly after, the door closes behind me but I don't think it clicked shut – I really can't be bothered to turn around and close it properly, I have to get out of here, yeah. I don't give a damn if he escapes or and axe murder gets in, I am getting my stuff and freaking leaving. I need to think about something.

**  
(A/N: Who liked Dei-Dei's visit? I know, this all seemed like a bit of a filler (it's not), but I'm proud of it…)**


	13. Hide and Seek

* * *

Authors note: Ahaha...the long awaited chapter has arrived. I'm SO SORRY for the wait...I hope I didn't lose any of you... (I tweaked it a little)

Disclaimer: Deidara gets annoyed when people buy him toxic hand lotion.

Beautiful liar;

Chapter thirteen: Hide and seek

Outside the weather was against him again, the pitter-patter of rain could be heard in every direction, the clouds were grey and not much sunshine peered through the thick cloud was wasted for no one could see it. Often all it did was make the rain look as if it were diamonds falling from the heavens, Konoha was famous for it's good weather however that is not to say it never rained, as it did, rarely so. It had been raining a lot as of late which was quite unusual for Konoha and it's people. Not many were out on the streets except the homeless, the unlucky few who couldn't get to their destination before the storm and the shinobi who were on border patrol. In the village however there were the fair few who would use the rain to their advantage such as one Hyuuga Hinata and her team mates Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kenshi.

They often spent their afternoon, the wet and rainy ones outside in order to help further Hinata's abilities, it was Shino who had once told her that the rain was advantageous to her as often the rain would make heat radiation more noticeable to her. It was like a serious version of Hide and seek involving a lot of bugs, dogs and people. If Inuzuka Kiba had been present at the time, he'd have noticed her improvements.

Speaking of the boy... hospitals were always a little creepy to him...the way the white walls on the outside led to white walls on the inside, always eerily quiet it was always clean, you could see it, and smell it in the air, making the over-powering stench of bleach and disinfectant follow you everywhere. Along the silent corridors and the echoing stair case, through wards, just weaving in and out of rooms, coming and going just as any patient or nurse would. Kiba on many occasions thought that the smell clung to his nose just to mock him.

Even in the hospital the spray of water could be heard as it escaped the piping of the shower head to the shivering tanned skin below. It was obvious Kiba hated these showers but that nurse didn't sit too well with him. There was something about her that seemed familiar, he just couldn't pin-point it. Stepping out the shower Kiba shook off the access water like a dog would after being out in the rain. He picked up a towel wrapping it around his waist and then draping another around his shoulders in an attempt to hide his "scar". He hated that thing.

Wondering out the room he walked to the end of the hospital bed or what they deemed a bed, it was more a rock then anything else. In fact, rocks were more comfortable. Kiba grumbled incoherently picking up the clipboard. His eyes wondered over the Keyboard, rolling his eyes now and then at the ridiculous suggestions and statements were written down. He blinked when he got to the bottom of the page, he peered at it closely, a light scowl forming on his features, the date on the last entry was clearly written down but he didn't understand why the last entry's date could be so wrong, it was dated three days ago. He thought for a moment and his eyes widened at the thought – why would a nurse ignore details? There was nothing new there! Kiba glanced at the door slowly first wondering where the hell that nurse went and then back to the clipboard - within a second he looked back at the door and gave a wolfish smirk...the door was ajar... the clipboard forgotten.

* * *

The rain was getting heavier and which it the temperatures dropped "Oi, Hinata! Have you found Shino's bugs yet? I'm freezing my tail off over here" he huffed from beside her shaking the water out of his hair to emphasize his point.

Squeaking in surprise she turned to him hastily to stutter out a reply "N-Not yet Kenshi-kun" she went on as she turned back to her task, a slightly annoyed expression "o-one more" Shino nodded beside her, his eyes narrowed slightly when Kenshi rung out his long pony tail muttering 'whatever'.

"Perhaps Kenshi and I should duel to pass the time. It is clear he is in need of a distraction" Hinata mumbled the okay, not really paying attention to them, that pesky bug was getting on her nerves now. She was cold too!

Sighing, Kenshi shook his head slowly "geez Shino, I had no idea you had such low self-esteem. I don't think of you as a distraction" Shino raised an eyebrow and Kenshi smirked "I think of you as an eye-sore" if Shino had any less self-control you would have been able to witness his eyebrow twitch in annoyance, however much to Kenshi's displeasure, no such reaction took place.

"Taijutsu?" Shino asked sharply, in no mood for Kenshi's games.

"You'll lose" Kenshi replied with an edge.

"You are entitled to your own opinion" Shino countered, at this Kenshi's brow twitched, he hated it when Shino always managed to turn the attack around so the only one to get annoyed was himself and not his target. Although, he did have to give him credit, not many people could do that.

There was silence as the rain fell for about a minute or so, both glaring at one another, Kagemaru sat at the sidelines, watching tiredly, he could already tell his master was going solo, it was a well known fact to the dog-nin that the Aburame boy wasn't much liked by his master, he wasn't yet clear on the reason why, so far all he'd gotten was a 'I just don't' or 'something about him I don't like'. Kagemaru's best guess was that the Aburame was one of those people he couldn't get along with even if he tried. Kenshi bent down to the floor on all-fours with a malicious smirk on his face and his eyes flashed with something, Shino didn't like it, it looked like more trouble then this duel was worth.

Readying a kunai at his side, Shino spoke "go" with that Kenshi rushed forwards claws drawn, nose sharpened and eyes narrowed, he looked just about ready to kill. Running towards Shino, Kenshi pounced aiming a blow for Shino's face via upper-cut cursing to himself when Shino managed a back flip in a nick of time.

"I found it!" Hinata shouted happily, Kenshi bent backwards on his hands as he turned to her narrowly avoiding Shino's fist as it came flying towards his own face, he smirked as he pushed off the ground with his feet. Shino's eyes widened seeing Kenshi's foot a little bit too late and grunted in pain as his foot connected with his stomach.

"'Grats!" Kenshi shouted back, his smirk widening as he watched Shino stumbled back slightly standing proudly on his hands, in a second flat, Shino swung his right leg under Kenshi's hands in an attempt to knock him off balance as if he'd never been hit at all, Kenshi lifted his right hand safely out of the way of Shino's attack, beneath his hight collar, Shino smirked the smallest of smirks thinking he'd had the enemy trapped however he'd failed to notice Kenshi placed both his feet on the ground by the time his leg reached Kenshi's left hand, nicking it only slightly. "heh" Kenshi chuckled triumphantly.

"Heh" Shino returned as he swung his fist, hitting Kenshi in his right cheek, sending him off a few feet away hitting the ground roughly as he went, he groaned as he got to his knees chuckling to himself "low blow Aburame" he chuckled again "You put an awful lot of chakra into that punch" he go to his feet running forwards again.

"Do not pretend like your the innocent party in this," Shino began, dodging a claw to the face "I have felt the chakra in your previous attacks" he flung his fist at Kenshi, whom easily caught it in his hand, smirking when he twirled behind Shino, twisting his arm painfully and holding it in place.

"I may not be innocent" Kenshi began, pulling Shino army so he let out a strangled cry of pain "but I think I know when I've won" a minute or so went by with nothing being said between the two.

Using his free hand, Shino took hold of Kenshi shoulder "You will not know you have won" gripping as much fabric as he could "until I admit defeat" Shino pushed his hips back into Kenshi's own using his momentum to pull him forwards and onto the ground in front of Shino.

"Touché" Kenshi commented, the smirk still present on his features.

* * *

Wondering down the corridors of the hospital with her head buried in clipboard filled with various patients' information, Sakura ran a hand through rose locks. She was on her way to another on her patient on her rotor, Inuzuka Kiba, she sighed remembered the first day of his arrival, she knew he hated hospitals but she'd never have thought he'd hate it enough to make such a scene

Looking up from her clipboard, she broke into a run, not being able to sense Kiba's chakra in his room. She pushed on the door falling forwards as it gave away under her weight, she gasped as she stabled herself quickly. Her eyes swept across the room, it was empty. She checked the bathroom hastily, her eyes widened she she turned of her heels back out the room "TSUNADE-SHISHOU!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

**- Kiba -**

"TSUANADE-SHISHOU!" I smirk to myself, when I hear Sakura's voice. No doubt she's already alerted half the hospital. I have to keep my guard up if I don't wanna' get found which is going to be hard to do without chakra! I growl lowly, it's hard enough as it is, it really sucks Tsunade put a stronger chakra seal on me after she'd heard that I threatened to kill Shino when I see him. I can't smell jack now. It makes it worse that Tsunade is supposed to be in the building today.

That's okay, I know exactly where to go...

* * *

**- Normal -**

Shino was thrown to the floor by a panting Kenshi who had many bruises of his own he'd gotten from Shino got down on one knee and put a kunai to his throat "so, buggy-boy! Feel like you've lost yet?!" he growled out, all Shino could do was pant tiredly "listen, I want you to tell me what's up with Kiba!"

"what do you mean?" Shino asked blandly.

At that Kenshi growled "you know Exactly what I mean! The secret meeting I know you go to with Hana-san and Tsume-san! And your other friends!" he took hold of Shino's collar pulling him up so they were face to face "don't think I don't know how closely you watch Kiba! All of you! Or notice how weird Kiba's been acting! What're you looking for huh?! What do you expect to find?!"

"You two stop bickering and help us look for him!" a voice cried from behind them, Hinata gaze flew in the direction of the voice and she gasped.

"I-Ino? A-Are you alright? L-Look for who?" Hinata asked worriedly

"Kiba! He's escaped from hospital" she cried running off back down the road she'd come – she needed to alert the others from where they stood they could see Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei on the roof tops looking for him from above. Mentally sighing, Shino swung his fist, hitting Kenshi in the jaw and standing up abruptly.

"No, I do not feel like losing" with that his jumped out of view, rushing off in search of Kiba. Growling Kenshi stood rubbing his jaw.

"That's cheating bastard" he mumbled, gesturing Kagemaru to follow him as he strolled of in a 'frantic' search to find his baby cousin.

* * *

**- Kiba -**

I peered around the room, just in case anyone would be able to find me in here. I know it's not the smartest of things to do, hiding out in the place you were supposedly running from. But in a way, it's pretty smart, I mean, how often do people look in the place they know you hate the most. Especially when you've been confined in it for a week.

I look through the pane of glass in front of me, who'd have thought I'd be able to get all the way to the other side of the hospital into the maternity ward, I can't say it was the first place I'd thought of to hide out but, come on, this is the last place, any _man_ on this earth would want to be by choice – especially if your very young, very single, and very, very not ready for children.

Personally, I can't wait until I get a kid. I smiled to myself at the thought. I can almost imagine it, my wife would be sat in the living room doting upon this tiny little bundle in her arms and I'd walk in from wherever the hell it was that I'd been and she'd call me over and I'd just look at my precious little baby sleep in her arms. Then I'd take her, hold my baby in my arms and take her to her room and tuck her in her cot and my little bundle of joy can wake to see some really lame toy hanging above her head.

The one of thing I want to be able to do for my kid, is be there for it, like I wish my father could have been for me...

I snap to it when I realize my hand had somehow made it to the glass as I watched those new-born babies sleep and gurgle and...make really weird noises. I look away from then, back to the floor – no one would want me as a husband anyway, it's not like I can protect them, I can't even protect myself, how am I supposed to protect my family! A tear finds it's way down my cheek and I scowl at myself.

I wish I'd never chosen this ward – it's making me want what I can't have...

"Kiba! Oh Kami-sama! You had us all worried to death!" my eyes widen as I turn towards the entrance of the maturity ward, I mentally swear at myself as I see Sakura staring right at me. I turn to the floor, a blush burning on my cheeks. I hate my life. I hate it, hate it, hate it!

I laugh nervously still looking at the floor "found me huh?"

Sakura comes up and stands next to me "you never left..." she mumbles, and I nod "why not?"

I scoff "are you crazy?" I turn to her and point at the door like it was evil "go out there with this on my arm!?" and then I point at the seal on my arm "plus I think I'd need clothes if I was leaving" I mumble looking down upon my attire – well... I wouldn't use such a fancy word for a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a plain white t-shirt but I really can't be bothered to think of I less fancy one right now "I mean, there'd be no point in my goin' out there, you'd find me in three seconds flat" I grumble.

"how did you get out in the first place?" she asks me and I shrug, okay, now she looks annoyed, help me! "What do you mean" she copies my shrug and I shrug again.

"I dunno'" I say "the door was open, so I took the opportunity to go site seeing" I furrow my brow when I notice Sakura's eyes flicker from me to the door of the ward for a moment then she sighed.

"Okay, so maybe one of us forgot to lock the door" she muttered to herself "so...why this ward?"

I look at her for a moment and then I turn my gaze to the newborns through the window "was this the last place you checked?" I ask and she nods "that's why" I lie. Truth be told, I wanted to see the babies, I dunno' why, I've always had a weakness for them. I can't really remember, but I think I've already said this... beside me Sakura smiles for a moment.

"They're cute aren't they" I look at her for a second, wondering who 'they' are "the babies" she supplies quickly and then I mouth the word 'oh' and nod, her smile widens.

I laugh at myself out loud and Sakura looks at me weirdly I just smile at her "I wish I had one of my own" I said "then I'm older" I'm still looking at her and her face has fallen, I can't figure out...oh, OH dear, my hand goes to the marking on my cheek as I try to hide my blush "n-no! I didn't mean..." I try to say, I'm panicking now sh-she thinks I want- I shake my head quickly "I meant - I didn't mean...I didn't mean I wanted _your_ baby Sakura" I could swear I turned beet root red, I clear my throat and she laughs out in relief. It's not that there's anything wrong with Sakura or her children, I just don't want either of them. I'm not saying I don't think Sakura is attractive! She's plenty attractive, just not my kind of Attractive! Oh, save me now, I feel like dying...

"Now the confusion has settled" I hear from behind the door and my eyes widen in shock, I hadn't expected him to be here, I turn towards the direction of the voice, just in time to see Shino come out of his hiding spot – wow, he looks really beaten up. I roll my eyes, oh, well, that makes my job a lot easier.

"Shino..." I mumble, he looks at me and I charge for him, not even thinking about what I'm doing any more, I scream "you're a dead man!" I swing for him and my hand stops inches from his face my eyes widen in surprise, beside me Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei are holding me back as I struggle to get free – I'm so close! I want Shino to leave me alone, if I can't kill him, I want him gone.

"Kiba!" Kurenai-sensei shouts sharply "calm down!" I wince at her tone and I fall to my knees, I look up at Shino, as he watches me...I hate this...I hate him so much...

"Why?" I ask quietly, looking at the floor, everyone in the room glances at each other, anticipating my next move "Why, Shino?" I glance at him "why did you do this to me...?"

"I am sorry" he says simply, my eyes widen and they narrow soon after.

"Sorry?!" I cry out, trying to lung for him again "how can you be sorry!" I don't care any more, this isn't fair! "I HATE THIS SHINO!" I shout at the top of my voice, tears stream freely down my face, I try to stand Asuma and Kurenai hold me steady, Sakura says something but I wasn't listening to what she was saying "WHAT DID I DO, SHINO!? TELL ME WHAT I DID WRONG TO MAKE YOU HATE ME!" I feel a sharp pain in my arm and I cry out, finally noting the needle in my arm "no..." I say "I hate that...please don't!" I shake my head frantically – Sakura just gave me some sedative, I hate that stuff, it makes me feel so weak.

Sakura frowns at me "I'm sorry Kiba" she looks at the hall behind her "I can't have you getting rowdy in this particular ward"

**- Normal -**

Kiba slumps forwards and Asuma gently lets go of his small form, smaller then his at least, he watched as Kurenai cradled the poor boy in her arms running a hand through his hair softly "I'm so sorry Kiba" she whispered to him.

Her eyes widen when she hear Kiba's voice, little more the a whisper "not you...fault" at that Kurenai chokes back a sob.

"I'm still sorry...for everything you've been through"she says, hugging him gently.

"...Sh...Shino" Kiba calls weakly at which Shino moves forwards and kneels in front of him, besides them, Asuma heads for the door.

"Kurenai-san, we have to report to the Hokage" at that Kurenai nods carefully passing Kiba to Shino, placing him gently in his arms and whispering a quick 'I'll try come visit...' before making her way to leave.

"It was the mission...wasn't it?" Kiba said quietly as his head rested on Shino's shoulder "you hate me...because...I failed the mission, right?" a tear ran down his cheek which Shino wiped away slowly "I'm...sorry..."

"No, Kiba, it was not the mission" he began, looking down at his dazed friend "I was worried for you...so I brought you here" he sighed "please, do not be mad at me for long, I never realized how boring Konoha is without the thought of you grinning stupidly at me"

At that note, Sakura decided she'd rather not intrude on their privacy anymore and carefully tip-toed out the room mentioning something like "I'll be back later"

"Not...why I'm mad" Kiba mumbled gripping weakly at Shino's jacket "I trusted you..." Kiba grumbled "tell you when I'm not...so tired..." Shino gave a small nod and stood, carrying Kiba bridal style towards his room, with Sakura following behind with a bright smile on her face.

**(A/N: Yeah, I know that was rubbish, I'm really sorry...don't worry though, there is a point to this chapter, it's just not apparent yet. I hope you enjoyed it. Eh, I may as well tell you this now but, there might be some smut in the next chapter xD) **


	14. Tender ties

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Authors note: Yayy! I can update D I didn't think I'd have the Internet this long! I'm sorry I updated late (again), I didn't have time last week, plus I think I was suffering a mild case of writers block.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, but I wish I did.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter fourteen: Tender ties.

_Upon entering room 201, the room Kiba's had been assigned to for the duration of his stay in the hospital, Shino let out a sigh. He could understand why Kiba would pull such a stunt, he would want to after a week in a such a bland room with hardly any company apart from the nurses that prescribed the medication they thought he would need, such as sleeping pills or other such things. Shino frowned slightly, it can't have been good company either, especially those who came armed with syringes and morphine. _

_Slowly, Shino made his way towards the solitary bed at the far wall of the room and sat Kiba's slumbering form on the bed as he pulled back the covers with his free hand, Kiba's head resting on Shino's shoulder all the while. With a mental sigh Shino positioned Kiba on the bed gently so as not to wake him. He frowned to himself when he noticed Kiba's hand clinging to Shino's jacket, sighing aloud this time she carefully pried Kiba's hand off and placed it gently on the bed, pulling the sheets over the smaller boy. _

_Watching the Inuzuka was something the Aburame had never really done before. Especially not when he was asleep, when he thought about it, Shino had never really shown much interest in the boy, even gone so far as to hating him during their Genin days but that soon wore off. They had grown on each other. Shino watched as Kiba's chest rose and fell evenly and his gave moved slowly to his face, he looked peaceful and now that he looked closely, it didn't look like Kiba had been starving himself, in fact, he looked like he did before the mission, a sensible weight. Ever so gently, Shino's fingers brushed against Kiba's tattooed cheek, his hand lowered, softly caressing the outline of Kiba's own, surprisingly silken, lips._

_Turning to leave, partly out of shock at his own thoughts and the fact that Sakura was still waiting patiently at the door for him to leave. Taking a step forward, he paused when he felt something clutch at his sleeve. He swivelled around to see Kiba, staring at him with a slightly dazed look in his eye "stay..." there was a moments silence, uncomfortable at best, for Shino at least "please" with yet another sigh Shino mulled over his options._

Soft breathing could be heard from the two figures as they slept in the small, white room. One figure was curled into himself, only half snuggling up to the figure who rested on a chair with his head in his arms, leaning on the hospital bed. Said figure wore a green jacket, his hood up, as usual, his glasses on, as is usually the case when not having the proper opportunity to take them off. This figure, as you no doubt guessed, was Aburame Shino. He stirred slightly from his slumber and slowly sat up, adjusting his glasses as he went, he looked to the bathroom for the moment and turned back to his sleeping neighbour only mildly surprised to his his eyes open but still drowsy, he had a small smile on his face "you stayed..."

At that Shino simply nodded "good-"

The door burst open "-Morning, Kiba-chan!" a certain fanged relative burst in with an unmistakably happy grin, or...was it an unmistakably evil grin? One things for sure, it wasn't good. Both the half-dazed shinobi were both lost as to how they missed the sound of the door unlocking. This particular fact was rather unsettling for Shino.

"K-Kenshi!" Kiba exclaimed, sitting straight up in his seat with a look of pure disbelief on his features. Shino's brow twitched, no one took much notice.

"The one and only, Bebii-chan" he stated as he waltzed over to Kiba and sitting on the bed beside him. Kiba himself looked surprised when his cousin gathered him in his arms, and held him tightly. He'd been so surprised he hadn't even noticed Kenshi given Shino a get-the-hell-out glare to which Shino clenched his teeth and held himself back from jumping the idiot, he stood slowly, pushing the chair back with his legs.

"I will come back later, if you will let me Kiba" Kiba nodded, slightly dumbfounded at how the events transpired, still unable to recover, he missed the satisfied smirk play out on the other Inuzuka's face.

Said boy watched the Aburame leave as he muttered to Kiba "you know..." he sniffled the crook of Kiba's neck, shocking the other boy our of his confused thoughts "you smell different...really _good_" the door to the room slammed shut.

Kiba's eyes widened in shock, turning his head to look completely at his cousin "Kenshi- what–" he let out a sharp gasp as Kenshi started nipping at the curve of his neck "I – I" Kiba's shuddered as Kenshi began to lick at the skin of his neck roughly "thought we..." he let out a strangled moan as Kenshi sucked aggressively on the already abused flesh "stopped this..." he moaned again, unconsciously pressing the raven-haired shinobi against himself, entwining his fingers in his hair.

Smirking Kenshi replied "we did" he mumbled against his baby cousins tanned flesh "but now" he growled possessively, caressing the boys stomach "I'm starting again" he bite down hard on Kiba's shoulder. Kenshi groaned when Kiba pressed his back against him, silently asking for more, smirking to himself the the ebony-haired boy complied, running his tongue Kiba's jaw line "by the way..."

"Mm?" Kiba questioned, unable to speak coherently.

Shuffling could be heard as Kenshi rummaged around in his leg holster for a whilst whilst nipping at Kiba's jaw as he went "Hana asked me to give you this"he pulled out a small jar of peanut butter at which Kiba's eyes locked onto it with need "she said you might want it" and Kiba took that as his cue to snatch it way from the dark haired Inuzuka, place it on the bedside table and glomp Kenshi who fell backwards from the force "h-hey!"

"Thank you, Kenshi!" Kiba exclaimed happily, paying no mind to the chuunin struggling for air...

* * *

On the other side of the door, Tsume and Shino watched the exchange silently, it had taken Shino a long moment to accept what was actually happening in the other room. First, Kenshi starting _kissing_ Kiba and, at first it had frozen him in shock and Kiba had started moaning, that had caused Shino's fist's to clench in his pockets as he glared holes into Kenshi's head. _Then_ Kiba starting rolling up _against_ Kenshi, it was that in particular that Shino needed to retrain himself the most, having wanted – for some reason or another to go in there and gut Kenshi like a fish. Why? He wasn't quite sure but he sure as hell wanted to get in there and murder that...that PERVERT!

And then of course, things, from Shino's point of just turned into the most bizarre thing he'd ever witnessed. Kenshi pulls out a jar of peanut butter and then Kiba...jumps him? He watched through the one way window as Kenshi attempted to pry Kiba off of him. Shino almost laughed, it's not often you saw Kenshi get what was coming to him, especially when he bought it on himself. However, that didn't change the fact that he was very...confused, a state that he didn't much like to be in. So, he did the only thing he could, he asked...

"Inuzuka-san?" He continued when she looked at him "what exactly is...their relationship?" with a small huff, Tsume looked from the window back to Shino a few times.

"Well, it's complicated" she frowned looking at the Aburame "I never really understood it myself"she lent against the wall in thought and Shino watched her with interest "ever since they were little, they've been close but distant at the same time. Don't ask, I don't know how it works either" she scratched her tanned cheek lightly "it might be because Kenshi is considered a genius in Kiba no Kuni" she ran a thoughtful hand through her hair "maybe Kiba doesn't feel like he could ever be equal to him, I don't know..."

"That would explain some..."

"Yeah." Tsume mumbled, lost in thought "maybe..."

_Laughing could be heard outside, the children were playing with one another. Tsume had taken leave of Konoha for a family get-together in Kiba no Kuni, it wasn't a thing they did often so when the visitation was offered from friends living there, she had jumped at the opportunity. Hana was sat next to her, sipping her tea slowly as she listened in on the adult's conversation. Kiba was outside playing with his cousin, who was one year older then him. Kenshi was accepted into the academy at the age of five, two years ago and has been getting top grades since._

_No, Kiba no Kuni wasn't a well-known country and it had few shinobi. This was because the country was small and never received money from other countries through anything other then trade. It was common knowledge that you would in fact make more money from being a merchant then if you were to follow the path of a shinobi. It was also common knowledge that Kenshi wanted to be at the top of the food-chain around here. The boy may be only be seven years of age but he had potential. Tsume sighed nodding in agreement at one of her fellow Inuzuka's comments , only half paying attention. _

"_We're so proud of Kenshi" his aunt smiled at Tsume "he's been getting straight A's since I can remember" Tsume smiled and nodded in agreement, not wanted to say anything too rude like 'of course, since you can remember, please don't go senile on me already' it seemed like the conversation was going around and around and around in one very large, very boring circle. It's not that she didn't like to hear of Kenshi's achievements but having heard them again and again for at least three days was tiresome. _

_Sniffling could be heard from outside "excuse me for a moment" Tsume stated quickly, and wondering over to the window and peered out of it with a small frown on her features. Turning her head to the left she saw nothing but there was still sniffling, so she sniffed the air around her and turned to the right, "hmm" she thought to herself watching the pair of boys from the window._

"_What are you crying about this time?" the taller one, with ebony hair asked, Tsume sniffled slightly, not being able to see their faces properly from this angle, the first who spoke, she thought, was Kenshi, finding his scent familiar, the other was so similar to her own that she recognised him immediately, Kiba. _

"_Th-ey keep" he sniffled, wiping tears away from his eyes "tea-teasing me" the elder sighed and pulled the younger boy into a small hug, allowing Kiba's tears to stain his navy blue shirt._

"_What did they say?" he asked after a pause, he sounded as if he could care less._

"_They...keep" Kiba sobbed into his shirt, clutching at the material "c-calling me a...gir-girl" with that the ebony-haired boy laughed lightly, shaking his head as he released his younger cousin._

"_Well you act like one" he said playfully, but Tsume could tell, there was a dagger hidden in those words, not that Kiba would be able to tell...he didn't know after all. He didn't know about his condition. The entire clan however, did._

"_H-hey!" Kiba said, the teasing forgotten, he seemed offended._

"_What do you expect if you keep crying," he sighed "stop being such a baby, Kiba-chan" at that Kiba stomped his foot and pointed accusingly at Kenshi._

"_And that's another thing!" he exclaimed, still pointing "why does everyone call me 'Kiba-_chan_'!?" at that Kenshi ran a hand through his shoulder length hair._

"_Because you act like a girl" at that Kiba blanched, unable to think of anything to say, so taking the opportunity Kenshi stepped forwards and licked Kiba's cheek, Kiba squeaked in surprise and stared at Kenshi curiously._

"_Why'd you lick me?" Kiba asked, confusion evident in his voice, Kenshi shrugged and and turned to leave._

"_Dunno'" he stated simply "just don't listen to them, okay. They're all stupid" he said as he walked away from the smaller brunette. Tsume watched Kiba nod dumbly and she came away from the window, realizing she'd spent longer then she'd intended to there. She returned to her seat, saving Hana from having her ear talked off. _

Nodding his head, Shino took in the story Tsume had told, he'd have to take what he could from it to try and understand their relationship. Speaking of the two of them, Kenshi had somehow managed to pry Kiba off of him and was now sat with his back against the headboard and Kiba sat between his legs, his arms wrapped around Kiba's waist. Shino's brow twitched in annoyance.

Tsume either didn't notice or pretended not to.

In the other room, Kiba cuddled up to Kenshi with a small smile, he was starting to get sleepy, after all, sleepiness was common when one never had a lot to do anyway. Kenshi ran a hand through his hair "by the way, I forgot to mention" a small pause "you have your full-body check up today, Tsunade-sama is doing it personally"

"What?!" Kiba cried, he knew he had a check up but he didn't realize it would be today, Kenshi smirked at the younger teen, licking his cheek.

"Don't worry Bebii-chan" he laughed. Kiba frowned, he really couldn't face Tsunade right now.

**(A/N: Okay, I'm, sorry I didn't update last week, I know I said I would but damn it, the real world struck again. By the way: Bebii - Baby)**


	15. Facing Reality

Authors note: I'm really sorry, I haven't updated in ages and I promised you this chapter like...two weeks ago! I'm sorry, I had a terrible case of Writers block... I did try, honestly I did! Wails dramatically Please don't hate me!

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing... but that will easily be fixed when I become a millionaire. Time is all it takes.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter fifteen: Facing Reality.

The echo of footsteps could be heard from down the hall as Shino and Tsume waited patiently for a nurse to come and collect Kiba for his check-up. Tsume, in the mean time dropped a bag she'd been carrying to the floor with a dull thud. Shino on the other hand was...concerned with the goings on in the other room, as the teasing had yet to be stopped and Kenshi took every chance he got to latch his lips onto any exposed part of Kiba's upper body, except, he noted, Kiba's lips... Shino was in fact very reluctant to admit he was getting rather annoyed at the ebony haired teen – however before he could take that thought any further he was interrupted by the likes of Tsunade and Shizune as they rounded the corner, Tsunade clearing her throat as she went.

Both shinobi stood at attention as Shizune unlocked the door. Turning towards the pair, Tsunade gave them a 'just relax' look and then walked through the door only to see Kiba worming his way out of Kenshi's grasp as he chuckled at the younger boys misfortune, especially since he'd just been caught cuddling his cousin. Well, not exactly cuddling – more like very nearly sucking face, it was only nearly because Kenshi had had his lips glued to Kiba's neck. The Hokage herself looked damn near confused. She shook her head and dismissed any thoughts she'd had on the scene before her and waved her hands in front of her dismissively "right" she began "I'll ignore that. Kiba, come with me" she ordered, Kiba nodded following behind as Tsunade walked down the hall with a bright red blush painting his cheeks, it didn't take long for Tsume and Shino to join at Kiba's side.

Kenshi hung back, deciding to take his time. His cousin's condition wasn't his problem, what was his problem however was all the attention said cousin was getting. Of course one would look at the situation and think it common jealousy, but Kenshi had nothing to be jealous about, he was stronger, faster, smarter and more dangerous then Kiba could ever dream to be. By his standards at least. So why was it that Kiba received so much more attention then the clans very own genius? Kenshi scoffed, slowing his pace a little bit more.

Ahead of him, Shino, Tsume, Kiba, the Hokage and her trusty assistant Shizune headed in one particular direction, the examination ward. Room 34. this of course was on the opposite side to the Observation ward. On way to aforementioned ward They passed by the front desk. Shino stopped in his tracks, the rest of the group continuing on. The presence behind him was unmistakable "Father" he stated simply.

"You failed to inform me you would be here" the taller man spoke moving to stand beside his son "I was beginning to worry when you did not return home" Shino nodded once, looking down the corridor where his sickly companion headed down.

He looked to his father for a moment "I apologise for not notifying you" he turned back to the hall "how did you manage to find me?"

He father gave a small smirk, looking like a carbon copy of Shino's own "news travels quickly" to that Shino only nodded and moved forwards to follow to group.

"I will return home when I have been notified of Kiba's condition" Shibi – Shino's father merely nodded as he followed his son's lead. The walk to room 34 was spent in a comfortable silence. The pair had no need to talk, so why should they when silence is just as good as any conversation could ever be. However, people neglected silence when it came. Not everyone wanted to be alone with their thoughts, so they made noise to drown out the deafening silence of their own head. Conversations were held in silence's place. Laughter obstructed painful memories from the minds eye. Smile were given to blind peoples perception of you.

Silence. Silence, to Shino, was a gift. He appreciated what it bought him. If used correctly, silence can proved you with the greatest of insights. Many a time Shino had used silence to his advantage. To watch as others lived their lives, unaware that he could tell from their actions what they thought or how they felt. Although, Shino discovered he did not need silence to distinguish that something was deeply disturbing Kiba. That was the easy part. Shino did however needed silence to help analyse his behaviour. Shino frowned, he had come to a theory, rather reluctantly a few days ago that whatever had happened on that mission was personal, so personal in fact that no one would understand even if they were told. No one would understand how it felt...

_'I wasn't lying when I said it hurt...you know...' _Shino remembered the pain in Kiba's voice that day and sighed, it was barely audible but it did not go unnoticed by the elder Aburame as they came to a stop near Room 34. Kenshi was leant against white wall of the corridor, staring in deep thought at a crack on the ceiling. Kiba was already inside the room as well as Tsume. Shizune was most likely in there too with Tsunade as she conducted the examination. Shibi waited patiently along with his son and temporary team mate.

Lowering his head slightly in thought, Shibi sat down on one of the chairs provided outside Room 34. Just how temporary was this team mate? He cannot simply stay until Kiba is well. His village need him. More to the point, what did Kiba have? He's been out for over a month – five weeks to be exact, they may at this rate have to find a more permanent replacement. Even if it is not what Shino wishes to hear, after all, Shibi knew how hard it was to watch a friend in need.

* * *

**- Kiba - **

Tsunade-sama asked me to make myself comfortable a while ago, so I did, on the examination bench, and my ma's in a chair by the door. Shizune was going over some some patient details with Tsunade. I don't know what they're talking about but some if it made Tsunade go all...broody... It can't be good, whatever it is. Ma' seems to be thinking too, maybe she's trying to figure out what's wrong. And let me tell you, that's not going to be an easy job.

A hand finds itself on my shoulder, making me jump. When did Tsunade get there? She's mumbles a quick sorry, most likely for startling me. I nod, and squint my eyes, the walls start moving, just a bit. I close them and shake my head from side to side. I open them slowly and smile slightly when the dizziness is gone. Tsunade looks at me, puzzled. She gently hold my chin in her hand "Can you blink for me, Kiba" I nod, as best I can when someone is holding my face, I blink like she told me to "well..." she mumbles to herself more then anyone "your pupils are adjusting properly", I nod, not really caring. After all, there's nothing wrong with me.

My eyes wonder over to Ma', she's listening like her life depended on it, or mine for that matter "okay" I mumble back, not quite sure what to say to that. Did she expect me to jump around happily because my eyes are normal? She continues, pulling me to my feet and guiding me towards a set of scales. Okay, this is normal, after all, I'm apparently anorexic, they're checking my weight. I stand on it, knowing I'd be fine. Tsunade-baa-chan looks pleased, at the same time, she looks confused. Beside her, Shizune has the same look on her face, having joined us at the scaled a moment ago. She was the first to snap out of the shock and noted my weight down with a smile. Tsunade is looking at the number, she has a pensive look on her face. Just was is so interesting about my weight!? I look down in a huff and just backward off the scales "ah-haa" I cry, slightly alarmed, am I really that Heavy?! No way! That's more then I weighed before – the rape.

Shizune giggled slightly "it's okay, Kiba" she smiles at me, leading me back to the bench "it's weight easily worked off" I nod, still put off that I'd gained so much wait in such a sort time period. Not- not that I'm saying it's a _bad_ thing, right? I mean, I don't think I'm _fat_, I just never expected to weigh so much. _I am __not__ anorexic!_

Tsume is on her feet now, beside me with her hand on my head, running her fingers lightly through my hair. I can't help but think she thinks I'm scared I weigh so much, I put on hand on my stomach, a small grimace on the face, something doesn't feel right.

"You've been sleeping well, haven't you Kiba?" Tsunade asked, making her way over. I shake my head and she frowns.

"I keep waking up" I say, looking at the floor "I'm always sick..." with that, Shizune looked at the chart in her hand again and whispered to Tsunade. She nodded every now and then, Ma's hand as stopped in my hair. She's worried.

* * *

**- Normal - **

Snapping out of his train of thought due to the echoing footsteps of a new arrival, he turned to the direction of the noise. Shino nodded to himself, knowing already who is was. Kenshi seemed to know too, since he didn't seem too puzzled about it. If the two younger shinobi recognised the approaching figure, then no doubt the elder would have too.

If not the person himself then he would be sure to recognise the tell-tale features of the boy. For one, the clear near lavender eyes and the long, dark brown hair of the tall Jounin. Hyuuga Neji. Said Jounin looked quite annoyed "what's up with you?" Kenshi asked from beside Shino who inwardly glared at the boy.

Leaning against the wall, waiting patiently, Neji replied "Hinata-sama asked me to check on Kiba for her while she was on her mission" he stared pointedly at Kenshi "I'm annoyed at having to be the messenger" As you can imagine, after heading towards Kiba's room and then being redirected would make anyone either annoyed or embarrassed. Neji, of course was annoyed at being ill-informed. It also ticked him off that Hinata was in fact on a mission with Ino and Lee and he was stuck in the village, it was only a small reconnaissance mission, but he still wanted to go.

"I'm sure Kiba will be done soon" Shino said blandly, glancing at the door.

The irate brunette simply huffed and leant against the wall, getting comfortable for the wait. Kenshi joined him, not particularly wanting to stand up the entire time, well, not without some sort of support. Quiet reined over them.

* * *

Staring at Kiba curiously, Tsunade put her hands on her hips, this boy was a strange one. He has the symptoms of something, but it wasn't anorexia, bulimia maybe, but not anorexia. Tsume seemed quite thoughtful, and worried. Glancing at the charts again, Tsunade sighed "You suffer from dizziness right?" Kiba merely nods. Tsume's eyes narrow slightly, the Hokage raised a brow when Tsume beckoned her over to the other end of the room. Kiba looked confused, shocked and panicked. He took a deep breath and he didn't look well. The evidence he was not well is further proven when he pressed his hand quickly to his mouth and gulps, huffing shakily into his hand.

Tsume looked gravely at Tsunade, Shizune was soon by her side, the elder Inuzuka seemed to be preparing herself for what she had to say. After a moment, her lips moved but no sound seemed to come out then, after Tsunade leaned in closer, and the Inuzuka woman spoke a little bit louder "Kiba's..." Tsunade's eyebrows rose to her hairline.

"No, I'm sure, if nothing else it's bulimia" She said quickly still in shock. Shizune looked between the two, confused. Not having heard Tsume's words.

The Inuzuka's eyes flicked to her son worriedly and then back to Tsunade "Please, check." Tsunade frowned, but with a sigh she nodded.

"Fine. I will, but I still think you're crazy" the Hokage mumbled, waltzing calmly over to Kiba.

Laughing nervously, Tsume put her hand on the back of her head "I hope so..." she followed the Hokage over to her son, Shizune sat back, deciding that she'd rather stay out of the loop then be in it, after all she missed the start of the conversation, what would be the point in listening to it further, although it was interesting to see both adults acting so strangely.

"Kiba, lift up your shirt a minute and lie on your back. You're mother has requested I look for something" glancing at his mother quickly, Kiba complied with a quizzical frown. After taking a deep breath and concentrating chakra into her palms, Tsunade lightly run her hands over Kiba's stomach, frowning when she noticed it bulged ever so slightly...could Tsume be right...? No! Of course not, it's not physically possible for a male to... She paused in her train of thought when she came across a large concentration of chakra in Kiba's lower abdominal area. Gasping, she turned frantically towards Shizune "Get me Hyuuga Hiashi!" Tsunade said, alarmed. The outburst caused Shizune to freeze in shock "NOW!" Tsunade screamed, angered by the lack of response, making Kiba jump and Shizune scrambled out the room in a frenzied search for aforementioned Hyuuga.

"WHAT DOES HIASHI HAVE TO DO WITH THIS!?" Kiba screamed in shock and confusion. What the hell was going on?!

* * *

"NOW!" was heard through the door suddenly, had they found something wrong with-

The was pushed open roughly and it collided with the wall, ever so brutally "WHAT THE HELL DOES-" Shizune looked panicked and the door closed itself, rebounding off the wall causing Kiba's shouts to be slightly muffled, yet no one seemed to be paying too much attention to them, most of it was focused on Shizune.

She began running down the hall, taking almost no notice of the other shinobi present, only to stop when she could a glimpse of one of said shinobi. She paused and stared at him for a moment. Lavender eyes stared into black, Shizune turned to the door, then to Neji then the door and back again. After another moment of staring, Shizune grabbed his wrist and dragged him back into the other room.

"Hey! what-" was all Neji could say before the door was shut behind him. Leaving the other visitors in a state of bewilderment.

Turning to the door quickly, Tsunade gaped "that's not-"

"He was closer" Shizune said quickly, Leading Neji by the shoulders towards Kiba, who was not doubt officially squirming under the scrutinizing gaze of...everyone, really. Neji as it seemed, was doing a very good job as masking his discomfort in the situation.

"Shizune, take Tsume over there" Tsunade waved her hand behind her, seemingly satisfied with Shizune's resourcefulness "so Neji can have some space" Nodding her head, Tsunade's faithful assistant lead Tsume to the back of the room, ready and waiting.

Pursing his lips together in annoyance, Neji crossed his arms in front of him and huffed "space to do what?" his voice dripping with annoyance.

"You" Tsunade said, pulling Neji in front of her so he stood across from Kiba, who's eyes were now wide with everything but happiness "are going to use _your_ Byakugan and focus-" Tsunade pointed to a spot on Kiba's still exposed stomach "right there" attempting to pull his shirt down Kiba squimed uncomfortably, only to have the Hokage's hand place firmly on top on his own, effectively ceasing all of Kiba's movement.

"Excuse me?" Neji asked incredulously.

"Do it" she replied flatly, indicating to room for argument. After a brief moment of staring, Neji complied with slightly narrowed eyes, activating his Byakugan.

There was silence as Neji zeroed in on his target, with wide eyes, he deactivated his Kekkai Genkai. He gulped staring at Kiba, said boy looking pale. Anything that made Neji look so pale had to be bad. The Hyuuga turned to Tsunade slowly "There is...something inside him..." With a nod, Tsunade rushed forwards, and lead Neji hurriedly to the door, opening it quickly and, quite literally shoving into outside and shouting a quick "Thank you!" before having the door slammed in his face.

* * *

"Hey-" glaring at the door for a moment, extremely put off by being thrown out, he turned around slowly, remembering what he'd witnessed only moments ago.

Kenshi, being impatient as ever waved a hand in front of the Hyuuga Genius' face "so, How's Kiba?" both Aburames watched curiously as Neji's eyes clouded over in thought.

Snapping out of his daze, Neji pondered a moment for a suitable reply "Kiba..." he began uncertainly "has something inside him" Kenshi's hand paused, mid-wave.

Sitting up quickly, Kiba looked frantic, what was going on?! Why wouldn't anyone tell him what was happening! Tsume was up and by his side in a moment, as was Shizune. With a sigh, Tsunade sat in the chair by the door that Tsume used to occupy.

She stared long and hard as Tsume whispered reassurances in Kiba's ear as he was rocked gently back and forth in her arms, his eyes clouded with various emotions. Fear being the most prominent. Standing up, Tsunade inhaled a breath and held it "Inuzuka Kiba..." said boy looked up at her, still in his mothers grasp "you're..." she hesitated, not quite believing it herself "pregnant"

**(A/N: Oh, god. How awful was that chapter? I know, I'm really sorry it's so late, and for it to be so bad? I'm really sorry. I really am. I've had terrible writer's block and I found it hard to find and gather up enough inspiration to even start it, let alone finish it by the end of the week I promised it would be due. So...yeah, I'm sorry I dragged the lack of updates out so long...)**


	16. Shattered soul

Authors note: ho hum...Well, this chapter will explain a lot. But it could also add some new questions to your list. Did anyone spot a rogue paragraph in the last chapter concerning our traumatised friend? Well a rogue chapter, not quite, it tied in quite nicely actually. What I meant was: slightly off-subject.

Disclaimer: Wouldn't _you_ like to know what I do and do not own. :(

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter sixteen: Shattered Soul.

Laughter. Laughter was a fragile thing, sensitive to the atmosphere, laughter is important to ones life, simply because without it, what could possibly make life more cheerful? Without it, what would release tension in ones life? Without it, what could you use as a shield to defend yourself against hurtful words or actions? What would you use...to cover up lies?

It was one of those things that is used as an expression of joy or happiness, or, in most cases, it is used to represent the sheer hilarity of a certain situation. And laughter could be used as a reaction to a joke. That's what Kiba thought this was, a joke, and that's what he was currently doing. Laughing. He was curled into himself, clutching his stomach, just laughing, the echo's of that wonderfully joyful sound could be heard on various levels in the hospital. Him? Pregnant! No way, just no! It's not physically possible for a _guy_ to have kids, right? He continued to laugh, taking no notice of the puzzled looks plastered on the adults faces. This had to be a joke! All this had to be one _huge_ wind up! The Hospital, the examination, everything! Even Shino and Neji played a part in it!

Soon, Kiba managed to calm himself down enough to look up at aforementioned elders with a goofy grin on his face "O-Okay" he laughed "okay, you've had your fun" he sighed wiping a tear from his eyes, chuckling all the while. He'd been laughing way too much.

Tsume glanced at Tsunade who shrugged, still watching Kiba as if he were a riddle, waiting to be solved. Scratching her tattooed cheek lightly, Tsume sighed "umm" glancing around at all three adults in the room, Kiba's grin slowly slide from his face, gaping in horror. Shizune had an expression of shock on her face, frantically searching for evidence on the chart that that is not the case. Tsunade seemed...she seemed a mixture of shock and resignation and Tsume had an apology practically written on her face.

His eyes widened a little "oh..." Kiba began, the fear already evident in his tone "oh Kami" he didn't know what to say? How was he supposed to react to this "y-you're...serious, aren't you?" He asked, with a gulp. Tsume only nodded, opting to look at the floor, she didn't want to see the look in her son's eyes. He was frozen with fear, frozen with realization. He knew it was true...this was way past a joke...

_...Pain..._

_...Screams..._

_...Laughter..._

_...Tears..._

_...Begging... _

After a few moments of silence, no one brave enough to break Kiba from his reverie, no one wanted to know what was going through the boys head, even if it _would_ help them to get a better understanding of the boys situation. In a matter of seconds, his breathes became laboured, focusing straight ahead of time, focusing on nothing in particular '_no way...I can't be...if I am...the ra- it's his..._' mentally slapping himself about the face, Kiba snapped out of it, just enough to force out what had been wracking his brains for an answer to. "How?" he whispered, almost unheard by everyone.

Shrugging her shoulders the current Hokage frowned, wishing she was able to give the poor boy an answer, instead she looked to Inuzuka Tsume, she'd suggested the idea of looking for a pregnancy, and wouldn't you know it? Tsunade found one. Creasing her brow in thought, waiting for the Elder Inuzuka to prove them all with answer. With a reluctant sigh, said Inuzuka supplied "it was months before you were due..." she ran a hand slowly through her hair, he son watching her intently "when your father died..." Kiba's eyes widened, what did his father have to do with this?

_The clang of pots and pans could be heard from the kitchen, the house was mostly quiet, save for Hana in the living room, reading to herself quietly. Her father was out on a mission, he'd been gone for at least a week. He'd needed to go an play aristocrat on what should have been a simple retrieval mission. Meaning it had gone from a mere two days to seven in a matter of hours. She'd received word from the current Hokage – the fourth about said delay. With any luck, he'd be back soon, safe and sound. _

_The baby was about seven and a half months along, there was plenty of time to go before the baby was due, but Tsume still wanted to see her husband as much as she could before then, it was common knowledge that Inuzuka children were very demanding. She'd never get a moment alone with her husband when the baby was born. Still, no matter how annoying said children got, she'd love them forever. Seriously, once you hold you child in your arms you can't ever let go, right?_

_The door swung open, and the floor boards creaked, letting the household know of the arrival of a very special member of the family. Putting down all the dishing with a smile, Tsume headed for the door. She stood there, watching as the man she loved removed his Jounin vest, placing it against the wall, where it always stayed. He turned to her, his brown mope of hair covering his sharp eyes. With a toothy grin, he ran his hand through it, beckoning Tsume over. Marching forwards purposefully, Tsume embraced him, snuggling into his chest briefly as he pecked her on the top of her head. _

"_Tou-san!" came a jovial cry and with a laugh the soon-to-be eldest child of the family wrapped her arms and legs around her father's, refusing to let go. He laughed along with her, patting her roughly on the head, making her close one eye and huff loudly._

"_Yeah, yeah" he said, shaking his leg a little in an attempt to get his daughter of a leech off his leg "I missed you too" with that, she let go, dropping with a dull thud onto the floor, with a smile Tsume pecked her husband on the cheek and headed back into the kitchen..._

_Her eyes snapped up a few minutes later at the sound of shattering glass, Hana screamed and a moment later he heard her husbands voice "Hana! Behind me!" the clash of metal on metal could be heard and Tsume rushed into the front room, the feral growl of her husband ever prominent. She watched helplessly from the kitchen, catching Hana's eye and beckoning her over. _

_Her daughter ran forwards, and yelped in surprise when she was caught off-guard by the enemy shinobi "Hana!" Both her parents cried, the Inuzuka male's canine companion growling, preparing to lurch at the captor of his master's pup_

"_Stay!" within a second, the enemy ninja smirked. Watching as the infamous Inuzuka was ambushed, from all angles, receiving a clean cut to the throat and crumpling to the floor._

_Hana froze._

_His companion howled._

_Tsume screamed._

_He lay dead. _

_Quickly removing the hatai-ate of the motionless, bloody Inuzuka "one more out of the bingo book" one said, laughing as they fled the scene._

"I went into shock...you were born extremely prematurely..." she sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes "the Fourth needed help from the Third to save you..." there was a long pause, what was Kiba supposed to say? He'd never been told how his father died...how was one supposed to react to that? He felt sick...sick to his stomach and he wasn't even sure if it was because or the story or his new-found ability- no, not ability, a curse "you have to understand, Kiba...you're special...I-"

Without a second thought Kiba was on his feet and rushed towards the door with his hand over his mouth and tears coursing down his tattooed cheeks. He flung the wooden obstacle open carelessly with no mercy "Agh-" Neji was flung aside by the force, plummeting into the nearest object "Oof-" said object happened to be Aburame Shibi, who barely managed to keep his composure, hiding the fact he was severely winded.

Kiba ran past without a care, ignoring Shino as he asked after his well-being and Kenshi as he shouted after him, he didn't want to think how their opinion's of him would change when they heard of this. Something akin to "I feel sick" was all Shino was able to catch before losing sight of the teary-eyed boy.

"I apologise, Aburame-sama" Neji mumbled, straightening himself out, the elder nodded to the boy in acceptance of his apology, he couldn't help but inwardly chuckle at the boys annoyed expression. Probably at himself for appearing to be a floundering idiot.

"That is fine, Hyuuga-san" with that he watched silently as Shino seemed to be debating with himself. Should he go after Kiba? Would it be better to give him space? After all, Kiba was still mad at him, right? He paused in his debate when he heard a toilet in the restroom flush, and a strangled cry from from his distressed team mate. With an inward sigh, the young Aburame stepped forwards, with one simple resolve _'oh, I suppose as Kiba would say "Fuck it"'._

Upon reaching the door, Shino knocked a few times, waiting patiently for an answer "yes...?" can the quiet voice, he could hear the sniffling from the other side of the door. To be honest, it pained him to see his friend like this. In all his years, he'd never seen Kiba cry, much less twice within a month.

He opened his mouth to speak only to be pushed out of the way of the door by none other then his esteemed cousin, the raven scowled at him before continuing where Shino had been forced to leave off "it's Kenshi, you okay?" there was more sniffling before Kenshi growled lowly in frustration and pushed open the door "Bebii-chan" he said, eyeing his baby cousin sternly "what-" for the first time in all his years, he saw Kiba wince at his nickname...what exactly happened in that room?

"Where's Shino?" the broken brunette whispered softly, by this point, Tsunade, Tsume and Shizune had joined the crowd in the corridor. The younger Aburame listened curiously, wondering why Kiba would ask after him when he clearly held so much hatred for him at the present moment in time.

Blinking in surprise Kenshi stepped back, Kiba was rejecting _his_ help? "why do-"

"I _want_ Shino..." Kiba said, moving just a little closer to the door, attempting to wipe the tears from his eyes as he went "where is he?" he sniffled, leaning slightly on the door frame. With that said, Shino gave up on contemplating the reasons for Kiba's change of heart in favour of assisting him with his current problem.

Returning Kenshi's little push, Shino turned slowly to a teary Kiba "I am right here, Kiba" the hooded teen stated monotonously, making the desperate teen smile gratefully and lunge forwards into his arms.

"Shino!" having been caught off-guard, Shino stumbled backwards and lost his footing, falling against the opposite wall and collapsing onto the floor Kiba still in his arms, seemingly unperturbed by the odd series of events. Said boy was practically a rag doll in Shino's arms as he cried into the fabric of Shino's jacket. Tsume looking particularly shocked that Shino was allowing this. She'd always thought that he'd never let anyone so close to him, even if his friend was displaying such emotion. Shizune and Tsunade shared puzzled looks, Shibi raised a fine, sharp brow and Kenshi just scowled, practically prepared to rip Kiba away from Shino's arms and into his own. How dare he trespass on _his_ territory.

Moving aside, Tsume whispered in the ear of the ebony hair ninja and pulled away a moment later after which, he broke out into a small victorious smirk, before long, that smirk disappeared, replacing itself with an angry scowl. His hands slowly formed tight fists. No one noticed. Hyuuga Neji had been too fixated on Tsunade to notice, beside, he was curious as to what Kiba's condition actually was. No one noticed, expect Aburame Shibi.

Reluctantly, Shino wrapped one arm around Kiba's shaky shoulders and lifted his chin up with his free hand to look into the watery, red and lost eyes, dare he said it, looked even more attractive when he was in fact, emotionally strained- no, back on track. Gently, he used his other hand to wipe away the tears with his thumb, caressing his cheeks lightly as he went, he could tell that Kiba was searching for words as he gazed into Shino's eyes by his gaping mouth. He could also tell that Kiba was battling with himself not to cry out and drown in his chest with his sorrow.

Every once in a while, he would find he had to wipe fresh tears away as they fell, they seemed relentless "Kiba" Shino said blandly, being rewarded with a curious gaze "what is wrong?" with that Kiba shook his head, looking terrified at the prospect of answering, so instead of doing such, he gave in, and buried himself in Shino's chest, practically wailing as he cried "you do not want to answer" he felt Kiba nod as he continued to cried and nodded solemnly to himself.

Pulling away slightly "S-Shino I-I..." there was a paused as he let out a choked sob "I-I-" he froze after a moment, realizing that Shino had slipped a hand into his hair, running his fingers through it gently, he mentally shook his head, not wanted to be side-tracked "I'm s-sorry!" was all he managed to get out of himself before he broke out into another round of tears, At this point, Kenshi stalked passed, radiating annoyance, not that anyone noticed "I'm so sorry..." he mumbled, sniffling and letting out a few ragged breathes before he choked on the air trapped in his throat "the mission I failed...I'm sorry..."

"Kiba," Shino said, making Kiba tense slightly at his authoritative tone "you did _not _fail that mission, we all did" there was a pause "it was not your fault" Kiba whined into the bug-users chest and his griped tightly into his sleeve.

"I-It's not just the m-mission I..." Shino raises his brow, watching at tears slipped silently down the younger boy's tattooed cheeks "I lied..." at this point Neji raised a sharp brow as he lent against the wall, not intending to leave any time soon.

"I know"

"I'm sorry" there was a pause, the silence seemed deadly, as if someone would slit your throat if you dared make a sound against silence's will. Kiba seemed to be the only one willing to challenge it "The mission – I was-" there was a painful look in his eyes, the rest of his sentence trapped in his throat, he tried a different approach "I'm-" no, the fear of what would come held the words "I-I have a-" Tsume's eyes widened, was he _trying_ to tell Shino? Was he really that comfortable around the Aburame child? Beside her, Tsunade whispered in Shizune's ear, shortly after, the ebony-eyed female disappeared down the corridor.

Silently, Shino pulled Kiba into another small embrace, startling the smaller boy "You know you do not have to tell me anything" was all that was said, as he ran his hand slowly through Kiba's hair. At this point, Aburame Shibi decided it would be a good time to make an exit, seeing to real reason to stay. Shino would come home in his own time.

Kiba shook his head as it rested on his shoulder "I want to tell you, Shino...I-I do..." Carefully, said boy wiped away Kiba's stains of sorrow "I j-just can't..."

"Will you tell me now?" Kiba shook his head at Shino, yet another small tear slipping from his eyes as they slid shut. Mentally, Shino nodded to himself, having already known the answer but wanting confirmation. Shino lent back against the wall pulling Kiba with him "will tell me later?" he asked blandly.

With a nod, Kiba sniffled "I promise..."

There was a pause "Is this anything to do with what we spoke of last time?" there was another silent nod, Shino sighed, so the two things were connected, what could trouble the brave Inuzuka so? Kiba pulled away after a moment, smiling thankfully at the Aburame boy. After a moment, the air around them seemed to get slightly awkward as they stared at one another, Shino could sense what Kiba needed. He'd done it once before. Kiba on the other hand was more worried about that fact that both the Hokage _and _his mother were both present, Shizune having disappeared off somewhere before hand.

Noticing the tension, Shino pushed Kiba's arm slightly, silently letting him know it was time to let him go to stand. The instruction was followed shortly after and both teens, thankful to be off the floor, stood before the remaining adults. Shino stood silently with his hands in his pockets and Kiba stood next to him, with a pale pink blush painting his cheeks.

After an awkward pause, Tsunade cleared her throat "well" she began "now that you've calmed down, I would like to discharge you" Kiba blinked, startled, it took a moment for what Tsunade had just said to sink in and a confused smile soon graced his tear stained face.

"You're not going to keep me here?" He asked, fearfully as if his hopes would be crushed if he raised them too high. The Hokage shook her head, and Tsume smiled as she gestures for Kiba to come closer in order to take the seal off of Kiba's arm.

Forming a few complex seals with her hands and gathering chakra in her palm, Tsunade placed it above the seal and forced her chakra into it, seconds later it disintegrated and a wave of nausea flowed through Kiba. He stumbled forwards, gripping onto Tsunade's robes – being the only thing he could reach at the time – and whispered "help..." blackness over came him...

**(A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. I know, it seemed really corny didn't it? I tried not to make it so but, I have a feeling I failed once hope you enjoyed it and didn't find it as bad as I did. Thank you for all of those who have reviewed. I'm really happy about them actually, I reached my 60****th**** review! 3 to all)**


	17. The file

Authors note: You know...I had a sudden urge to update. I've had a reasonably good week. Well, actually. No I haven't. It was boring. Point is, I have now updated, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I refuse to admit that I do not own anything to do with Naruto. Unless it's Kenshi. He's mine.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter seventeen: The file.

Often when one finds out about a pregnancy it is a happy occasion. There are cheers, parties and congratulations, and both the male and female responsible for said pregnancy would both be feeling on top of the world...in the best case scenario. In the worst case scenario, the mother of the unborn child could want to get rid of it or maybe the male of the relationship can't stand the idea of having a child. Or, if you didn't have the strength to be rid of the child, you could always wait to give it up for adoption.

Of course, that was all before Inuzuka Kiba.

Konohagakure had been able to unofficially change it's opinion on the worst case scenario. The worst case scenario was now a young boy. There was no need for a situation, all you needed to know was his name. However, the boy did come with a situation, but as things go, he didn't need one. The worse case you could possible come by now...was a teen, aged fifteen, male. A boy who didn't even know or expect to be able to have children, a boy who'd been lied to all his life.

The aforementioned teen however, didn't have time to contemplate this interesting turn of events , especially since he now lay unconscious in the Fifth Hokage's arms. Tsunade herself seemed shocked, she hadn't been expecting that...After a moment of puzzled silence, Tsunade sighed and adjusted her hold on the unconscious male. Lifting him with ease, she past him to Tsume, she smiled sadly down at her pup, and walked off without a word with her son in her arms.

With an exhausted sigh, Tsunade eyed the pair now left standing in the hall way in her company and raised an eyebrow at them "you leaving any time soon?" the Aburame and Hyuuga boys glanced at one another, seemingly both thinking the same thing.

"Hai" they stated together, watching silently as Tsunade nodded and took her leave, her footfall echoing the further she went, eventually it faded to nothing. There was a moment of silence between the pair.

"Neji" Shino began monotonously, the Hyuuga genius regarded him with a solemn look and a raised brow "I need your help" he finished, Neji sighed, Shino never was one for beating around the bush.

The Hyuuga had to admit, he was curious as to what exactly it was that the Aburame was up to. He suspected it was to do some inquiring into Kiba's condition, but then again, if that were the case, he would have asked Tsunade when he had the chance. Having said that, he gaped when Shino began to move forwards without waiting for an answer "And what is it you plan to do exactly?" the brunette asked, irked by Shino's impatience.

It what then that Shino stopped dead in his tracks and where was another silent pause, as if the air passing between them would give Neji the answer he was looking for. Instead of the wind however, all Neji received was a small black, silent speck floating towards him. His eyes widened slightly when, upon closer inspection, he noticed that this was no black speck but one of Shino's Kikaichuu. Quietly it buzzed by his ear blinking in astonishment, he heard a barely audible message from the tiny creature from Shino "_I intend to find and read Kiba's medical file" _There was a pause the insect returned to it's master whilst he continued to walk down the corridor.

There was a small growl when Neji realized he'd been gawking, Shino intended to snoop? It was then he smirked, no wonder Shino needed his help. Sure, he would have been able to use his bugs as a warning mechanism for when someone got too close. But who was to say he knew where the files were kept? He didn't. And naturally, Neji was always able to help.

After a moment, he jogged to catch up to the younger boy, with a slight smirk still playing on his matured features.

* * *

With a grunt he stood along with his partner. It was a commonly known fact that there were only two things the man hated in life – his partner and sitting down for three days straight. Yes, it was wonderful they finally got one of the last Bijuu, but for the love of Kami himself, _why_ did he have to sit by a _waterfall_. Three days. Three days _by a waterfall. _It's quite difficult to concentrate when one has to suppress their need to perform basic bodily functions.

There were only one or two Bijuu left to collect and he wasn't sure when Leader would make his move on them either. Lately the man had taken to planning things out to perfection, never leaving much room for chance. However is wasn't unlike him to be so...he'd just been a lot more focused on it lately.

He sighed when he realized his lollipop-faced partner had run off. He'd be back soon no doubt, just to talk his ear off. Running a hand through his blond hair, tired blue eyes focused on the river beside him. He frowned when he realized he' had to wait for that orange moron to show up before he could take care of his own personal business. Tobi often panicked when his 'Senpai' was no where to be seen when he had returned from his wanderings.

There was silence, save from the rhythmic clashes of water upon water as the clear liquid fell from the top of the waterfall to the river below it. He watched the stream flowed relentlessly down the the landscape, following the river path. With a yawn, he continued to watch running throw the previous meeting with his fellow Akatsuki, one thing in particular played in his mind over and over...

_The blond stifled a sigh of relief when the meeting came to a close. It had been quite long. First they talked, then then spent the rest of that time extracting the Bijuu from the Jinchuuriki, it was tiring but at least he wasn't the one who had to capture it. That was Kakuzu and Hidan's pleasure. He didn't really care if they had a hard time with it, the blond didn't really have an opinion on them...except that they were both complete and utter nutcases._

_But that was when it happened, Leader's voice rang out "on more thing before we go..." the blond had to stop himself from groaning. There was silence as he spoke, everyone seemed to have all their attention on him "we lack information on the nine-tails..."_

_At that Deidara bristled, "what do you mean!" he said, the irritation evident in his voice "we know his face, yeah! How can there be a _lack_ of information!?" his eyes narrowed and they shone with annoyance._

_There was a deathly silence. It had been a while since someone spoke against Leader in such a manner. After a moment, Leader spoke, his voice eerily calm "there is a lack of information...because we know nothing of his personal life. I want that information to find a weakness in him. Do you understand, Deidara?" he asked, staring pointedly at the holographic image of the blond._

_It took only a moment for Deidara to grunt out a "yes" glaring at the floor defiantly._

"_You are near Konoha, correct?" he asked, although he didn't need to. He knew where all of them were, perhaps he was just making some sort of point, Deidara mentally rolled his eyes. If leader was making a point, he didn't know what it was and he didn't care. _

"_I am" was all that was said, it was then he noticed that Tobi hadn't said a word the entire him, how odd..._

"_Deidara, you will get me that source of information, I don't care how, but I do care when. You have a week. Find it and bring it to me"_

_At was then that Deidara couldn't help but break out into a smirk and thanks to the lack of detail on these holograms, no one noticed, he nodded "Hai, Leader-sama. I know just what to look for..."_

The blond was pulled from his daze when he heard oh so painfully familiar voice of his partner "Senpai!" at that Deidara turned swiftly to glare at the masked man.

"What, Tobi?" he growled out.

"...I've been calling you're name for five minutes, Senpai..." there was a pause "is something wrong?" it took a few seconds for what Tobi had just said to register in his mind, had he really been that out of it not to notice Tobi right in his ear? He frowned after a moment and shook his head, quite unsettled that he had let his guard slip to much, what if Tobi had been the enemy?

Walking past the hyper male, Deidara let out a sigh "I was just thinking Tobi...a lot, yeah" with that he wondered into the woods leaving Tobi behind to stare after him him bewilderment.

'_Deidara-senpai...didn't even yell at me...?_'

* * *

The hospital, despite the fact that it was for the sick and dying was, as usual, bustling with life. Nurses rushed down corridors purposefully, and Doctors passed from room to room, paying no mind to anything else that was going on as they check on their patients.

It was through all the this action, Neji and Shino made their way through the hospital, unchallenged for the most part. They had only been stopped by a nurse on one occasion, asking them if they were visiting someone.

The Hyuuga had said that they had just finished their visit, it was then that Shino noticed that Neji stayed away from any notion of them actually leaving the building soon.

A few minutes of silence and continuous walking later, they found themselves nearing the front desk. Neji blinked, confusedly upon realizing this "Shino...the files are kept back that way" he stated, gesturing behind him.

"I am aware of that" the Aburame boy said as he continued to move forwards, Neji blinked a few times before continuing to follow the Aburame's lead and headed out into the front front room. He stopped abruptly when he realized that Shino had ceased moving. He'd been too busy looking around the room to notice he was headed straight into the Aburame. He took a step back, gracefully saving himself from complete embarrassment. He'd humiliated himself in front of Shino father already, as well as Shino himself and Kenshi, he didn't particularly feel like round two.

There was shuffling behind the desk, but no one appeared to be there. There were a few annoyed grunts and choice phrases mostly consisting of 'damn it' an arm found itself on the table, feeling around for something "Damn it...where did I put it..."

Shino watched curiously for a moment and Neji raised a brow at the oddity of the person underneath the desk at reception. After a second or two, Shino silently pinpointed the object of the hand's desires and picked it up – a medium sized screwdriver.

Holding it near the hand, it felt around for a moment grasping onto it clumsily after a while, then the voice came again "ah-ha!" it said triumphantly "got ya'" then there was a slightly evil giggle as the screwdriver disappeared under the table, Shino and Neji shared glances "you're mine drawer!"

After another small wait in silence where was an annoyed grunt and what sounded like someone was trying to pry the aforementioned drawer open. Neji couldn't help put grin at the person under the desk, the drawer was stuck!

"Sakura" Shino said, provoking a thump to sound from under the desk and a high-pitched yelp.

"Ow..." said the desk – or to be more precise, the woman under it. After a moment the pink-haired kunoichi appeared from under the desk, holding onto her head, her eyes widened when he saw who it was who'd scared the crap out of her "Shino-san, Neji-san?" Neji nodded in acknowledgement as she stood, brushing herself off "Something wrong?" she asked curiously.

"We need your help" Shino stated, both Neji and Sakura blinked in confusion.

"With what?" the bewildered pair chorused.

There was a moment silence as Shino contemplated what it was he was to say, after a moment Shino turned towards the corridor they had just come from "We need to read Kiba's medical file. We want you to unlock the door"

Gasping, Sakura shook her head "I-I can't let you do that. Why-" she was cut off when Neji held up a hand to silence her, she frowned slightly, it annoyed her to no end when he did that.

"Sakura please, this is important" Sakura stood there, silent for a moment, at war with herself, disobey Tsunade...or help out a friend? Sakura grimaced in thought, staring at the keys to the patient files room. They did say Kiba's file, right? And he has been quite ill recently, so...it natural for them to be worried...then again, Tsunade had told her from the day she had starting working in the hospital that she was not to let _anyone_ other then her fellow medical professionals into that particular room. After all, it was confidential.

With a sigh of defeat Sakura picked up the keys and hurriedly moved down the hall "o-okay..." was all that was said before both the Hyuuga and Aburame made to follow her.

A few minutes later and they found themselves inside the the patient files room, Sakura had just pushed Kiba's file gently into Shino's awaiting hands with a sigh "if Tsunade-shishou find out, we're all dead. So hurry up." with a nod, Shino opening it up, pouring over his most recent stay in the hospital. From the looks of things, it was updated just a few hours ago. The file in question was marked with large red lettering that read "strictly confidential" which meant that you would have to have special permission to read it, from Tsunade herself.

They had been in there for just over two minutes and already Shino had found something quite puzzling "Neji" he said quickly, distracting the Hyuuga who, up until now, had been on the look out for Tsunade "Look at this..." he stated quietly.

With an expression of curiosity, Neji looked over the file, and gasped after, glancing at Shino, asking with a quizzical frown "What is it mean...'pregnant'..."

There was a moment's silence as Sakura gasped and rushed over to the file, joining them in their shock "it means what it says...apparently..." Shino stated, Neji could sense Shino's unease, he could also tell that he was having difficulty keeping the emotion out of his voice.

Neji pointed at the piece of information on the sheet frantically "B-But that means- t-the thing in Kiba- i-it's a baby!" Neji, at this point made to efforts to disguise his shock, moments passed, no one said a word, all stared blankly at the file.

Shino, stared blankly at the profile picture. It was Kiba, he was smiling. He seemed so innocent, it was hard to believe that anything like this could have happened. He had hid it well... perhaps it was what the Inuzuka had tried to tell him...?

"You know," Sakura yelped in surprise, and Neji's posture straightened at the sound of the voice - it was familiar too familiar, the two of them turned "it's not nice to snoop around like this" They gulped, staring straight at the last person they wanted to see. Tsunade. Shino however chose to ignore her entrance, wanting nothing more then to stare at the picture of his friend. He was happy, it has been so long since he'd seen his friend truly happy.

After a moment, he found the file being ripped from his grasp – he had almost protested , but upon seeing who had taken the file, he chose to stay silent "I apologise Hokage-sama" he said monotonously.

There was a moments silence before the Hokage spoke again, the three shinobi having lined up in front of her wordlessly "Well, as you know, I would probably punish you for doing this" at the point she stared pointedly at Sakura who laughed gingerly, holding the back of her head "but since you know about this file..." Another pause, none of the three were prepared for what she had to say next "I have a mission for you."

**(A/N: So? What did you think? I'm sorry I took so long to update but I have been so busy...plus I'm on a Phoenix Wright high... Thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! I hope this one isn't as bad as I think it is.)**


	18. Mirror image

Authors note: Well, I truly hope you enjoy this chapter. Some of you should find it very enlightening.

Disclaimer: KIBA'S MINE! MWAHAHAHAHAHA-eh...oh no, wait...never mind... -wails dramatically-

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter eighteen: Mirror image.

There were very few things that unnerved Aburame Shino – most things that did he often took care of long before they became a problem. He never let anyone know what did and what didn't. The most important thing was; he knew. He also knew, more often then not, how it was he was supposed to go about solving the problem.

However, there was one thing that Shino found impossible to solve. What bothered him more then something was, in fact, nothing. After all how would you go about fixing a problem if there was nothing to fix in the first place? Even if there was something terribly wrong.

It was one of these problems that Shino was currently facing. The Hokage had ordered him – along with Hyuuga Neji and Haruno Sakura to 'retrace' the steps Shino and his team had taken a month ago. At first Sakura had been worrying that Shino could have forgotten but...that incident...that day, when he and Hinata had found Kiba in such poor condition...he could never forget, after all, Kiba was still suffering the repercussions of that day.

They had been travelling for hours, headed to the outskirts of the Fire Country. They had all agreed to retrace every leg of their journey – why? To see if they could spot any clues as to what exactly had transpired that day, even if Shino had a pretty good idea already. Tsunade had requested that they try to uncover what exactly had happened to Kiba since, well, since he wound up pregnant. She most likely wanted to see if she could deduce Kiba's condition by the goings on during that mission.

It didn't take much longer for them to come up the area they had ambushed the pair of clay models posing as bandit-nin. He did not recall their names and to be quite frank; he could care less who they were, due to the fact that they were never real people to begin with.

Jumping from the trees to the ground below with an eerie grace, Shino landed near soundlessly. The leaves may have crushed under his feet but there was no thump as they connected with the solid ground. The Hyuuga landed beside him, his feet sounded off a thump as they greeted the floor, he panted heavily with his hands rest on his knees. Sakura followed, landing in a crouching position, leaning heavily on the ground, breathing harshly "Why...couldn't...we stop...sooner?" she asked glaring up at Shino. Some would say she was unlucky when she rarely got missions with the Aburame – apparently he was quite the reliable ally. She however, now thought the exact opposite. She thought she was lucky – he was far more taxing then she had originally thought he would be, especially since he wouldn't stop unless you were practically dying from a lack of oxygen.

Turning to the pink haired kunoichi, Shino raised a brow "you had the energy to complain," he stated "you still do. You are fine" Inwardly Sakura bristled – it was no wonder Naruto didn't get along too well with him, sometimes she wondered how Hinata could cope.

There was a sigh from beside them as Shino turned back to examine the landscape "Why did we stop?" Neji asked, as he stood up straight, having could his breath "there's nothing here".

At that, Shino almost tensed '_nothing?_' Shino mentally shook his head; there was something "here" Shino stated wondering over to a patch of light brown soil. Kneeling, he carefully took a sample of both the light and dark soils between his thumb and index finger "the soil is both a different colour and texture" he stated as he stood up straight, turning to Neji.

Neji moved forwards with Sakura by his side "and?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest.

It was then Shino had to focus on keeping his eyebrow from twitching in annoyance for a moment before he was able to reply to the Hyuuga "you read the mission report before departing, did you not?" both Sakura and Neji nodded slightly their gazes now completely serious "then I am sure you are aware of the fact that the bandit-nin were made from clay. Does anyone else see a problem with the scene before us?"

Tilting his head to the side, Neji scrutinized the patch of soil a small frown facing his delicate features. Sakura on the other hand adopted the position Shino had only moments before, crouching she ran her hand over the soil lightly. Waiting for their answer patiently, Shino's eyes scanned over the area, checking for any other signs that suggest something was off "the ground is flat..." Sakura piped up after a minute or so.

Turning to meet her emerald eyes, Shino adjusted his glasses and nodded "precisely" he mentally sighed when he noticed the sparkle of realization in Neji's eyes "no doubt the implications of what this means have come to your attention" at that Sakura nodded "even after a month there should at least me a small mound where the clay lay now, but as you've noticed; there isn't. Which means-"

"Someone came to retrieve the clay after you had left" Neji interrupted, Shino simply nodded as he turned and calmly walked down the path Kiba had chased after the supposed leader of the group.

After a few minutes of silence as he continued to walk, Haruno and Hyuuga jogged to catch up to him "that can only mean one of two things" Shino began, once again gaining his team mates attention "either Kiba's attacker was monitoring us very carefully and had all of this planned, or, Kiba's attacker searched for his 'comrades' for hours and got lucky. Considering who Kiba's attacker was – Deida, as he claimed to be, I think option one was most likely".

* * *

The sun was beginning to set on the horizon over Konohagakure colouring the sky with decorative hues of pinks and yellows merged together nicely with oranges. The pink shades eventually melted into a delicate shade of lavender which faded as the sun set with every passing minute. Shizune sighed quietly as she stood by the window with a small cup of coffee in her grasp, glancing at Tsunade as she poured over various documents. Using her free hand she reached over to close the curtains and took note that this was the type of wonderful sunsets that lovers would sit and watch. It was a shame that she didn't have a lover quite yet...

With another sigh she noticed she had not lite a candle to supply Tsunade with the light she would need to read the documents in her possession. Silently she moved over to the desk and placed the coffee upon it, out of the way of any paper. Tsunade glanced up briefly before turning back to her papers and mumbling a "thank you, Shizune" with a happy nod the ebony haired kunoichi walked briskly to the exit on the other side of the room, determined to get Tsunade some candles before all light was lost. She swung the door of the Hokage's office open quietly and stepped through shutting it with an equal amount of care.

The passed few days for Tsunade had been...enlightening, to say the least. Not only did she find out what the 'problem' with Kiba actually was, but she also discovered that not only was he a medical phenomenon but he was also a medical miracle. By all rights, Kiba should have died a day old – not even that. He should have died within the hour of being born, had it not been for the help of both the Fourth Hokage and the Third then he surely would have.

According to Kiba's medical file, the file she was currently looking over, the female reproduction organs that the boy had within him were not fully formed. It had taken around forty-eight hours to stabilize him, during which time they had nearly lost him a total of twelve times. She smiled slightly, Kiba sure was a determined child.

Kiba's body had been treating the extra organs like an invader, his own body turned against him trying to get ride of the threat. The only way to save Kiba was to stop his natural defences from destroying him. They had used a technique called 'Seru Kaikaku no jutsu' the Cell reformation technique. A technique dating back to the time of the First Hokage. It was designed to reformulate the cells of the body and effectively trick them into believing that any foreign or mutant cells were part of it's original being. It was incredibly difficult and extremely time-consuming, if you mis-timed even _one_ seal then you could inevitably speed up the degeneration of the foreign cells in the body.

Unfortunately one thing the medical record doesn't mention was how on earth Kiba ended up in the condition he did – hence his being a medical phenomenon, his being a miracle was his being able to survive to complete the treatment. In the end the result was an alive yet sickly baby. He had to be continuously monitored for about a month before it was deemed safe for him to go home. They even had to put him in an incubator just to be sure.

Of course once they had stabilized him they naturally began to discuss the possibility of removing the extra reproductive organs. However, they did not want to risk the loss of a child they fought so hard to keep alive. After all, by this point the body had accepted the organs and removing them may of course, bring them back to square one.

Even though Kiba's ability to bear children is unquestionable, the question of of birth of the child was raised in Tsunade's mind. How was it that the child would greet the world? According to the file, and resent examinations, the fallopian tube was, somehow, attached to Kiba's anal passage...it was also in poor condition. It was far too flimsy for the child to be born without risk (but apparently not flimsy enough as to prevent conception). If the child was born naturally, then both he and the baby could, to put it bluntly – die.

So, as things looked, there was only one option left if the child was to be born. Jerking her head upright, Tsunade looked towards the door, closing the file as Shizune entered the room once again with a few candles in hand. She nodded in greeting and Shizune mimicked the action with a small smile "You have impeccable timing as always, Shizune" Tsunade said as she rose to her feet and wondered over to the window, gently tugging the curtains closed.

Shizune simply laughed lightly placing the candles on either side of Tsunade's desk to provide her with an equal amount of light "Thank you, Tsunade-sama" then her shoulders sagged slightly "I'll get someone to come and light a few torches in here" she mumbled and muttered something about a power cut "I hope a storm isn't coming..."

"I don't think there will be" Tsunade said smiling at Shizune "but there have been strong winds for the last couple of hours. Perhaps that's what's interfering." It was then she cleared her throat "Shizune, go home and sleep. I have to go and see the Inuzuka family tomorrow and I want at least one of us to have a good night sleep" With that she sat about down on her chair and picked up a few papers – bills, damn, she hated bills "Thanks again for the coffee, Shizune. Good night."

Smiling widely, Shizune bowed "Good night Tsunade-sama" she stated happily before leaving the Hokage to her own devices. Sake not included.

* * *

Once they had reached their destination all three of the ninja had set about looking for clues, mainly the reappearance of clay. Unfortunately it had taken almost an hour to locate anything and even then it was almost impossible to notice. It had been Neji who had spotted a few specks of light soil. Once again the ground was flat. The enemy who had attacked Kiba had definitely been here, since he had left behind the residue of the fight they had.

Other then that, all three seemed almost stumped for ideas when it came for suggestions on what to do next. It had then taken them another half an hour to locate a bush – not just any bush mind you, a few of the branches were broken and bent. From that they could definitely conclude a fight too place here. However, Shino had noticed something was missing. From the bush they took almost twenty-five minutes to locate long and narrow lines on the ground – they were still barely visible, luckily the weather hadn't wiped all traces of the battle away.

Sakura had stated they looked like claw marks and, upon further examination, she was right. Still, Shino thought something was amiss. He was right. There were signs of Akamaru and his struggles, not one thing indicated to Kiba or his own. It was now that Shino tensed there truly was nothing here "what do we do now, Shino-san?" Sakura asked, looking worriedly at the floor.

After a few moments of silence Neji sighed "we should leave. It's late" it's not that he didn't want to stop the search, after all, it concerned a friend, but he did _not_ like the idea of standing around idly when there was clearly something to be done. He folded his arms across his chest as Sakura nodded slightly in agreement. She seemed to have the same outlook that he did.

"No" Shino said quickly, not wanting to give up just yet. Besides he still had yet to play his trump card. Neji's arms suddenly dropped to his side as he stared at Shino with mild annoyance "There is still one more thing I am able to do" Sakura perked up in curiosity.

"What?" she asked moving to stand closer to Shino with her hands behind her back. Neji also adopted a look of curiosity and waited silently for Shino to speak up.

"You are aware my Kikaichuu devour chakra, yes?" They both nodded in confirmation "I have recently learned of a new tracking technique called 'Destruction bug – mirror image technique' that my clan have been using for centuries. However it is only for a last resort" he stated adjusting his glasses slightly.

"And, what does this technique do?" Neji asked raising a fine brown eyebrow, once again folding his arms.

"You may not realize it. But if copious amounts of chakra are used during a battle, it can leave behind traces for up to a period of around two months." Shino said blandly, removing his hands from the green pockets of his forest green jacket.

A light seemed to go off in Sakura's head, as she stood up straight with a closed fist meeting her open palm in a 'now I get it' motion "So, you're hoping that you'll be able to piece together what happened through the imprints of chakra" Shino merely nodded "what if there aren't any imprints?"

"Then I wasted my time" Shino stated as he turned away from his team mates, turning towards the ruined bush he began to form seals "Neji" said teen moved to stand next to him, to show that he had been heard "the Kikaichuu will stay in place for a few minutes only before returning to me. I would also like to apologise for the inconvenience"

Blinking, Neji's eyes shone with confusion, "What inconveni-" he stopped mid-sentence as Shino continued on with his jutsu.

"Kikaichuu – Sagami Shazou no jutsu" Slowly he lifted his arms, Kikaichuu flew purposely in all directions, both Neji and Sakura had to cover their eyes, Sakura let out a surprised cry as the bugs zoomed by them carelessly, Neji managed to suppress a grunt of discomfort.

When all was said and done, they lowered their arms, their eyes widened in shock – the landscape was completely covered with the bugs. Shino stood with his arms by his side, taking ragged breaths, Neji noted. Not a second later did Shino's knee's buckle. He hit the ground with a light thud and then fell on his side much like a rag doll.

"Oh," Neji said quietly "_that_ inconvenience" he watched as Sakura rushed to his side to watch over him, he too had been tempted to do the same but Shino's words rang through his mind '_the Kikaichuu will stay in place for a few minutes only before returning to me_' his eyes scanned over the scene. He blinked a few times, the Kikaichuu seemed to follow the pattern of the chakra imprints, seemed to be like a ripple, there were more Kikaichuu in some areas then others. He also took notice of a blank patch against a near by tree – most likely where Kiba hit after the force of this...widely ranged blow.

There were a few more blank patches nearer to the bush, Akamaru must've it the ground a good few times before come to a halt "Shino's suffering from chakra deprivation. A few days rest and he should be okay" Sakura stated. She had rolled Shino onto his back so she could better examine him. Neji nodded and turned as the Kikaichuu began to return to the Aburame.

Examining the area facing away from his Team mates...the chakra patterns seemed like ripples on a lake... '_perhaps..._', he thought, "Alright. We got what we came for, let's go" Neji stated, turning around and walking quickly over to the fallen Aburame; lifting Shino off the ground. Focusing chakra into his feet and he took off into the trees with Sakura following close behind.

**(A/N: Okay...so? I hope that clears up Kiba's situation at least a little bit for you all. I'm sorry it took so long. I really don't have an excuse, except that this particular chapter was a btch to write. But that's okay! I did it! I hope you enjoyed it.)**


	19. Prelude to change

Authors note: ...Nyah, I couldn't wait. I'm so bored. I just had to update. Besides, I have nothing else to do.

Disclaimer: Sometimes I have trouble gaining ownership of Naruto, so, suppose that means I don't own anything quite yet – 'cept Kenshi, he's mine.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter nineteen: Prelude to change.

The Inuzuka household had not been the ideal place to be since Kiba's return from hospital the day before. There had been a number of arguments mostly centred around the baby and why Kiba was never told about his "ability", as his mother called it. Hana had been too shocked to speak when she found out. In fact the only person that seemed remotely calm about the whole ordeal was Kenshi, which, Kiba would have probably noticed had he not been so absorbed in his thoughts.

Speaking of Kenshi, one thing Kiba did notice was that he was spending a lot more time at the Inuzuka home then usual. He noticed this because a large amount of the time Kenshi spent there was with him, although they never really spoke to each other. It began shortly after Kiba returned home, Kenshi turned up at their doorstep with a large grin on his face, it was obvious he'd been training, he smelt sweaty, not to mention his hair was sticking to his face a little.

Tsume readily welcomed him in and handed him two drinks for both Kiba had himself. Finding the the younger male in the living room only moments later, Kenshi proceeded to comfort the boy by pulling him onto his lap and letting Kiba's head rest on his shoulder. Nothing was said, not even a protest from the upset boy, which Kenshi usually got no matter the circumstance. Had it not been for the fact that his younger cousin gripped tightly onto Kenshi's arm as he wrapped his arms around Kiba's thin waist then Kenshi was sure that his actions would have gone more or less unnoticed.

The next morning Kiba awoke next to his ebony haired cousin. At some point, Kenshi must have carried him upstairs and put him in his bed since he didn't remember moving from the sofa.

**- Kiba -**

I frown slightly as I breath in the scent of my cousin, it's just like burnt wood...I have my face buried in the crook of his neck and from what I can tell, his arms are wrapped around my waist...pretty tightly too. I squirm slightly. I hate this. I mean, I don't hate _this_, actually, my cousin is pretty comfortable. I just hate my situation...his hands are so close to the ba- that _thing_ in my stomach. This just sucks, if I think I had problems before, someone just slapped me in the face big time – seriously, not only am I a freak, but I'm a...a _pregnant_ freak. Oh Kami...even in my mind that word leaves a horrible feeling behind...I think I need some mind soap...

The arms around my waist tighten slightly and then loosen up, I wince. I guess my squirming didn't go unnoticed like I planned. I mentally groan. Kenshi was always a light sleeper..."Sleep well?" Kenshi says, I look up a gulp in discomfort, he's watching me with a weird grin on his face, like he won something...I clear my throat slightly and nod, not liking the gleam in his eyes.

"Ye-yeah..." I stutter out and he frowns lightly and moves his arms up to my shoulders and pulling me into a comforting hug, I figure he knows I'm still way beyond upset. My breath hitches when he pecks me on the forehead, I blink in shock, he's smirking...oh, I hate it when he smirks like that. It's like he's planning something...something that usually isn't beneficial to me in any way...oh well, I sigh in resignation. At least he's still treating me like normal.

Suddenly I'm scooped out of bed and into his arms as he stands up. I scowl lightly "Kenshi! Put me down, damn it! I can walk, you know!" with a light shrug he lets me find my feet and we stand in an awkward silence for a moment "I don't need your help..." I mutter, looking down at the floor.

Beside me Kenshi scoffs "sorry, Kiba-chan" he swoops in on me quickly and licks at my cheek. I close my eyes, I hadn't heard that in a while: Kiba-chan...wait, chan...? Chan!? My eyes snap open and I glare up at him "You knew!" I shout, punching him square in the chest, winding him slightly, he sputters shocked and alarmed at my actions "you fucking _knew_ didn't you?!" Bastard!

"Knew what?!" Kenshi countered, quickly recovering from my little assault. His posture straightened, his eyes were narrowed, they practically promised death, and if that wasn't enough, then his snarl certainly got the message through. After a moment I pushed all thoughts of certain death to the back of my mind, not wanting to loose my nerve.

"A-About me!" I shouted "a-and this this!" I gestured dramatically to my stomach "You knew about everything didn't you!" all my life people in my clan had been calling me 'Kiba-chan', and Kenshi went as far as 'Bebii-chan' and 'kunoichi' the bastard was practically _telling_ me that this could happen to me...that this _was_ me...tears start to gather, framing my eyes silently at the thought.

"Yes, Kiba!" he matched me in volume "I knew, we _all_ knew" he growls out, far too quickly for me to react, he grabs my upper arms tightly, making me wince. I cry out quietly as I'm thrown at the nearby wall "the _entire clan knows, _Kiba" there was a sigh as he moves closer to me, and I draw my arms up to my chest. I don't know what to do...Kenshi's never been this rough with me before...he's never lost patience so quickly... I'm scared "get used to it" he growls out and can't help put let a small whimper pass my lips as he joins his forehead to mine. A tear slips down my cheek, I don't like this...what's he doing?

"Is this why you've never kissed me?" I blurt out before I could stop myself. Oh god...I can't believe I just said that "you're disgusted with me, a-aren't you?" I continue, once again not thinking about what's coming out of my mouth.

There was another sigh and he shakes his head slightly "no," he whispers into my ear, I can't help the shiver that ran down my spine "no it's not Kiba-chan" I freeze when one of his hands cups my head, and his thumb caresses my cheek lightly.

"Then why...?" I whimper out, unsure of why I'm asking all these stupid questions. They just keep coming and I can't stop them...this isn't fair!

"Because you wouldn't have time to enjoy it if I did..." he whispers, I shake my head lightly.

"I have time now" I whisper and grip the material of his shirt tightly. I lean forwards, just wishing myself to stop unsure as to why I'm unable to – I just...I just need to know he's not lying to me... When he pulls away, I'm glad...really glad, but at the same time, I'm hurt. Gently, he prises my hands from his shirt.

"Now's not the time Kiba" he says, pulling completely away form me now, I jump slightly when I hear Hana shouting from downstairs.

"Shikamaru's here, Ino too!" She says and I sigh. What could they want? Did they need Kenshi for a mission? But if that was the case, she'd have called Kenshi himself and not just a general call... wondering over to my wardrobe, I rummage through it quickly – I really need a fresh shirt. I pull one out, it's plain black with a simple V-neck, baggy too. Perfect.

I pull yesterday's shirt off over my head quickly and throw it onto the floor, Kenshi leaves the room, most likely to see Shikamaru and Ino. I sigh after a moment and pull my fresh shirt over my head and make my way, rather hastily to the front door "whoa, slow down Kiba" Hana says, I growl at her and her eyes widen for a moment and backs off immediately after, making Shikamaru raise a questioning eyebrow.

"What's up?" I ask quickly not wanting Shikamaru to get a chance to talk just yet, standing next to Kenshi at the doorway, rather uncomfortably too, I might add. I frown slightly when I notice Ino looks kinda' distressed "something wrong?" I turn to Shikamaru. Man, I really hope there's nothing wrong.

He shrugs lightly, a frown on his features "Shino's in hospital" I freeze, Shino's in...hospital? But...Shino doesn't _do_ hospitals "nothing too serious" he says. Nothing too serious? If it was nothing serious, he wouldn't be in hospital! I mentally scream. Not a second later did I rush out of my house, Kenshi followed behind me "troublesome" I hear Shikamaru mutter. I turn around here's more footfall, It's ma', and Hana. I guess they're coming too. I turn around and speed on as best I can. I can't help but smile, I saw Ino and Shikamaru too. They must be worried about Shino too...

"Damn it, Kiba!" Kenshi hisses beside me "relax, Shino isn't dying...and as much as I know you don't want to hear it; don't strain yourself like this." I wince at his next words "You know why" I ignore them as best I can and I keep going.

* * *

**- Shino - **

Having regained conciousness at least an hour ago, I'm starting to wonder if I had been too brash in my decision to use that jutsu, especially since I am now looking into the face of my father, I know he's upset with me. I can see the slight frown on his features. We had sat in relative silence until fifteen minutes ago.

"You are unbelievable" he stated monotonously "risking your life for that boy was unnecessary" I frown slightly, he's not just upset. He's really quite angry, "did you forget that he promised he would tell you his secret?" I shook my head slowly, thankful for my sunglasses. Had I not put them on the instant I woke up, I was sure I would have quite the troublesome headache due to the bright lights of the hospital.

"No father" I reply shortly, unable to say much else "I did not forget"

There was a moments silence "Then why?" he questioned "Why were you so impatient?" had I had any less control over myself I'm sure I would have fidgeted slightly in this situation, it also helped that I couldn't move much anyway, thanks to to the strain the lack of chakra left on my system.

I sigh silently "Kiba is one of those that needs gentle coaxing over a long period of time. Time I did not have. I want to get to the bottom of this" I say blandly.

"It is better to wait then to die" Father said as he stood up, moving a little bit closer to my bedside "you know that technique has fatal drawbacks" I may have been imagining things, but I am almost certain I heard a small amount of sadness in his tone.

Of course, my father is quite correct. Kikaichuu – Sagami Shazou no jutsu, the Destruction bug – Mirror Image Technique is quite hazardous to oneself, after all...if the technique is unsuccessful it _will_ end in death.

If one activates the technique and does not find any evidence of chakra imprints then the Kikaichuu would return to their host, quite hungry, since they have not been able to feed. And, since said host – the Aburame responsible, would not have any chakra to spare...they devour the Aburame instead, sucking him completely dry of chakra and once they have done that, they turn on the host, effectively killing him.

However, if it is successful, it means you get to live and, that means, you have received results from whatever it is you used the technique on, which I am sure I will be receiving a briefing for eventually. I open my mouth to speak again when the door to my room is thrown open and I am immediately silenced when I eye my company.

Panting breathlessly, is my previous topic of discussion – Kiba. Behind him, here is a slightly less tired Kenshi "Shino!" Kiba cried rushing forwards, finding his way to the end of my bed and sitting cross-legged upon it, like he had the other times I had been in hospital, it was like some strange sort of routine he had...

"Good morning, Kiba" I say plainly, not entirely sure what it is I should say to Kiba and what it is he wants to hear.

"What are you doing here?" he asks and I blink in slight confusion. Isn't it obvious?

"I believe I am recovering" I state, wishing I could sit up to be level with him. I am not particularly fond of having to be, quite literally, looked down upon when I am talking to someone, especially in my current state. I sigh mentally when I notice four more people had entered the room. Tsume, Hana then Shikamaru and Ino. I had never thought to have so many visitors today...I hadn't really expected anyone but Kiba, since he always makes a scene when I am admitted into hospital.

"From?" he asked, staring at me pointedly. Ah, I see...he is not in a very good mood, it must be what had disturbed Kiba so greatly yesterday.

"I shall explain another time, when I have recovered enough to leave" I stated. It bothers me sometimes, how he can be so open with his concern for me. I am grateful, really, I am but, I am quite tired and I just want to sleep. It is normal for someone with a lack of energy "but in short" I say, noticing the hurt look in his eyes "it is chakra deprivation"

Off to my side, Kenshi moves close to the bed, I really can't help but notice the annoyed expression on his face when his eyes wonder over myself and then Kiba "you'll be okay, right?" Kiba mumbles sadly, clutching at the material on the hospital blanket near my leg.

With slight sigh, I nod "yes Kiba" I state, and I can't help the small smile that tugs at my features when I see his "I'll be fine" a slightly pause "after a few days of rest" he blushes slightly and I can't help but wonder if he had forgotten that chakra deprivation isn't exactly fatal.

**(A/N: Okay? How was that? I didn't get to cover all that I wanted to in this chapter but, still, it's quite important. What did you guy think, hm?)**


	20. Roar, cry, breathe

Authors note: Well, since like...chapter fourteen; I found _the_ song for **A Beautiful Liar**. I was so happy when I found it, seriously, it is this story in a nutshell. It makes me laugh because I had no idea this song even existed when I started writing this fic. Anyways – enjoy; the song is called **'A beautiful lie' **by **30 Seconds to Mars**. It's awesome.

Disclaimer: I don't own the song, the Naruto characters or the chair you're sitting in. But! I own my plot and my Kenshi so...urm...ha.

Beautiful liar;

Chapter twenty: Roar, cry, breathe.

If there was one thing any decent shinobi knew is that timing was key, as quite often, the fatality of a strike meant victory or defeat. After all, if you had been fighting an enemy for a long time, you begin to get a feel for their tactics and moves and also their habits – the point being is that after a while you'd get a feel for the speed of your opponent which means you would be able to, or at least should be able to time when and where to make the final blow.

However, not every shinobi is blessed with the gift of perfect timing, especially if the topic of discussion they come armed with is quite the unsavoury one. In this instance, said shinobi were in fact Shino's team mates: Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Neji and said topic of discussion was in fact the mission that landed him in hospital.

Sliding the door open smoothly, Sakura entered, once again in her uniform and a clipboard in her grasp and a polite smile on her features. Behind her entered the ever so stoic Hyuuga, dressed as normal, closing the door behind him. However, despite the smile on Sakura's face, she couldn't help but notice the awkward silence that filled the room as they entered, both of them noticing the presences of the one person they didn't particularly need to be there – or as a matter of fact, the one person they didn't want to be there; Inuzuka Kiba.

Do not be mistaken, they did like the boy, it was just the fact that they had come here to discuss him or more to the point; the mission involving him. However, Sakura was thankful that Kiba had somewhere important to be, taking a deep breath and clearing her throat, Sakura began "Kiba" she said, earning his attention "Tsunade-shishou wants to do a check-up with you..."

At that Kiba raised a brow "I thought she did one...like, yesterday..." he mumbled, climbing off the bed.

"No," Sakura replied simply "that was a conformation test" upon saying this, she internally began to panic when she saw Kiba's eyes narrow in suspicion...of what? "That-" she cleared her throat again "That's what she told me to say..." There was a tense moments silence as Kiba made his way out of the room, which to Sakura was made even worse as she looked at Neji who had his eyebrow raised at her, she shrugged feebly at him and shrinking into herself slightly.

After the door closed, Neji turned to the rest of the occupants of the room "we need a word with Shino. It's confidential. Please step outside for a moment." Silently, yet questioningly, everyone present in the room filed out. After a moment Neji said "'that's what she told me to say'?" Neji asked incredulously, Shino shook his head lightly.

"What was I supposed to say?!" Sakura hissed, glaring at the Hyuuga "'Hey, Kiba, that baby none of us are supposed to know about – yeah, that one. Tsunade needs to do a check-up', seriously Neji..." Sakura retorted sarcastically in her annoyance.

There was a sigh from in front of them "unfortunately, Sakura has a point" Shino began "however, Kiba more likely then not, thinks you know something" there was a pause as Shino tired but failed to sit himself up on his elbows "However, we have more important things to discuss, such as; the results of the mission. I assume that is why you're here."

Nodding, Neji began "right," he stated before continuing, "all there really is to tell was that there didn't seem to be much of a fight. More like: one hit and Kiba's out" Neji let a tired sigh pass his lips "however, I did find the point of impact. From the looks of it, the enemy struck from above." Shino raised a brow, silently asking for elaboration "Other then the tree and the brush, there were no other traces of struggle, and we can safely assume that said impact was something that would have blown anything and everything in it's path out of it" Neji explained monotonously "there's something else I found strange..." he trailed off, and Sakura nodded.

"On our way over, we were discussing the possibility of a fourth party," she explained on behalf of Neji "you remember the third patch of clay we found, right? Near Kiba's location?" Shino simply nodded, waiting for her to continue "well, surely, if this Deida guy was genuine, he wouldn't have been in a prime location to set off a blast like that – unless he had set it up prior to the battle. And, if he had access to something like that, why would he need more clay?"

There was a moments silence as they let Shino mull over the facts "it is then a definite possibility that, as we said before, someone collected the clay after we left." he said after a minute or two "However, that was before now. I had thought that the one on collection duty was Deida himself" there was yet another thoughtful silence "but, this theory... if it is true, I have no idea who it is we're dealing with" this fact, to Shino, was simply one of the worse results he could have received, there truly was nothing to go by. It was the one thing Shino have tired so hard to avoid...

There was a frustrated sigh "in other words" Sakura began "we're back to square one"

Shaking his head tiredly, Neji sighed "No, it's worse this then that" he placed a hand on his hip, looking up at the plain white ceiling "here, there are no squares." And if nothing else, then the ping in Shino's heart told him that he had failed. He had failed to save his friend. He had failed to save Kiba.

* * *

After being told to leave the room, Hana and Tsume had said they were going to get everyone some tea, because they all knew they would be there for a while. After all, Kiba was getting a check-up done, and they would not go home without him. And of course, Kenshi had his own agenda. Not to mention Aburame Shibi would probably be spending most of the day here anyway. Shikamaru and Ino however had no real reason to stay, but then again, it was either this or pay for one of Chouji's barbecue scoff-fests. Ino could help but chuckle to herself, she felt so sorry for Asuma right now.

With a bored sigh, the Nara moved forwards and reached for the handle of the door into Shino room only to pause in his actions when said door slid open on it own accord, looking up, Shikamaru was faced with both Haruno and Hyuuga "Neji," he said lazily, making way for the two of them to pass, after doing so, he pulled the Hyuuga off to the side "fill me in" was all Sakura heard before they disappeared around the corner, she couldn't hold back a laugh at Ino's shocked expression.

"Every time!" Ino huffed exaggeratedly "Every time, he drops me like nothing!" she pouted slightly "he promised he'd keep me company..."

Sakura laughed lightly "it's okay Ino, I'm sure Shikamaru's talking business. How often do Neji and Shikamaru communicate anyway, right?" Ino chuckled lightly, nodding "Anyway, Shino is now free to take visitors without further interruption, go on in everyone," Shibi was the first to enter the room, followed by Ino. Shortly after which, Neji and Shikamaru turned the corner, also filing back into the room. Sakura looked at Kenshi who had stayed put, he shrugged casually.

"I need to talk to Kiba. I'll wait for him here" was all he said before Sakura nodded and left to finish her duties.

* * *

Another five minutes went by and Hana and Tsume returned with the tea they had promised earlier, handing one cup to everyone present, minus Shino of course, since patients were only allowed to drink water.

Not much of anything import was said at all, it was mostly Ino gossiping about what had happened over the last few days. However, despite what it may have looked like, Aburame Shibi, did, in fact, enjoy listening to the carefree ramblings of the Yamanaka. To him, it was nice to be around someone who didn't have a care in the world, whereas he, currently and was once again reluctant to admit that he was worried for his son, and not just because he was in hospital.

But because of that boy – Inuzuka Kiba, his team mate.

As if on cue two voices could be heard outside the door, all conversation seemed to cease as said voices got louder "She said I'm showing, Kenshi!" that voice, it was Kiba's, he sounded really upset.

Neji couldn't help the slightly wince he made upon hearing the cruel tone in the retort "That's what you're crying about!?" there was a pause as he scoffed, Kenshi that is, "break out the tissues! I'll join you! Kami, get a grip Kiba!" the occupants in the room were almost certain they heard a growl.

Inching closer to the door, Hana reached for the handle only to have it wrenched away from her looming hand as the door flew open "It's not supposed to happen now!" cried Kiba as he entered the room, as if it were empty, having made no indication of whether or not he saw anyone in the room.

The room became extremely still "so what? You're early!" Kenshi countered, turning Kiba to look at him, and forcefully pinning him up against the wall of the room "how long did you think you could hide it for?!" he questioned through gritted teeth, glaring angrily. By this point, there were at least three people in the room who were in fact thoroughly confused "when exactly is it you are planning on telling them you were-"

"SHUT UP!" Kiba cried, the tears gathering in his eyes as he held back sobs. Narrowing her eyes, Hana clenched her fists tightly as she stood stationary by the door, Tsume doing much the same thing, crushing her used cardboard cup in her tight grip.

Roughly, Kiba was pushed back into the wall, which he had been gradually inching off "Tell me how long!" Kenshi demanded, his gaze hardening "two months, three?" he hissed out, by now, almost everyone in the room was on the defensive, waiting for the moment to jump in and stop the fight "What _are _you?" Kenshi asked coldly "a coward _and_ a whore?!" Tsume brought the cup to her lips, biting on it – hard.

Kiba's head snapped back, his eyes widening in shock, tears slipping down his face. After a moment or two Kiba gulped slightly, and shook his head feebly "n-no..." was all he managed to get out of himself before he was interrupted.

Taking hold of the collar of Kiba's shirt, Kenshi growled "Then tell them! Tell them about the-"

"NO!" Kiba cried, it was obvious to everyone his was panicking. His breath had quickened and tears were falling unchecked down his tattooed features as he sobbed openly. He had also begun to mumble incoherently to Kenshi, it was obviously about whatever the two of them were arguing over because no matter what Kiba said, Kenshi still looked pissed.

Scoffing, Kenshi released his hold on Kiba muttering to himself, something along the lines of "pathetic," after a moment more, he sighed agitatedly "Kiba, will you calm down!" all at once Kiba stopped mumbling through his tears, and said tears stopped flowing freshly from his eyes, he seemed almost like a statue.

There was a tense silence in the room once again as Kenshi calmed his own nerves. During that time, Tsume dropped the cup onto the floor almost mechanically and charged over to the ebony-haired Inuzuka with a murderous glare "how dare you!" she bellowed, grabbing him by the front of his mesh shirt and throwing him backwards "you've got nerves, taking like that in front of me!" she growled out menacingly.

Before she could continue she was alerted to something quite different when she heard Ino's voice "Is Kiba okay?!" she asked worriedly. Kenshi looked over, passed Tsume's shoulder and noticed Kiba's eyes were starting to droop. Shino had evidently noticed the same thing, as he was trying to take leave of his bed in order to help the boy.

"Kiba!" Kenshi shouted, alarmed. He broke away from Tsume easily, since she had been distracted. Moving closer, Kenshi steadied Kiba up against the wall, waving a hand in front of his face "hello?" he tried "earth to Kiba-chan!" he continued to wave his hand in Kiba's face, still getting no response.

There was an annoyed sigh and Kenshi raised his hand and brought it across, there was a yelp from the previously unresponsive boy as Kenshi's hand connected with his cheek. Bring a hand up to cradle the tender flesh, Kiba looked up at Kenshi, his tears once again renewed "What was that for!?" he whined helplessly, upset with being hurt for no apparent reason.

"I said 'calm down' I didn't say 'stop breathing!'" Kenshi countered, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at the far wall "I just wish you'd grow a back bone and te-"

"No, I will _not_ tell them about the baby!" Kiba said desperately. He looked on in confusion when Kenshi turned to him, a giant triumphant smirked plastered on his features, it only served to grow when Ino fell out of her chair looking both shocked and confused "What?" Kiba asked, genuinely confused "why is everyone staring at me?"

"Oops" Kenshi said through a chuckle "looks like you told them" he then proceeded to laugh hysterically, unable to believe that his cousin would do something so stupid. However, Kenshi had been hoping to do something like this in the first place. He just never expected Kiba to fall for it.

It only took a few minutes for it to click in Kiba's mind "oh..._god_" he muttered through a tight throat, one thought prominent in his mind '_I can't believe...I _forgot_...they were _here_..._' Kiba slid to the floor, a look of defeat clear in his eyes.

Calming himself down, Kenshi wiped away the tears that had formed from his laughing fit, he cleared his throat and regained his composure quickly, and knelled down in front of Kiba "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

At that Kiba narrowed his eyes at the elder, Kenshi could see two things in his eyes then, and he was sure it was not what Kiba had wanted him to see – hurt and betrayal, he was sure he was supposed to be seeing hatred, but then again, Kiba never really was any good at hiding how he really feels "you tricked me...bastard..." there was a pause as Kenshi nodded in admittance "but it doesn't matter anyway..."

At that almost everyone in the passed questioning glances at one another, had he finally accepted that he could bear children? "What do you mean?" Kenshi asked, confused.

"I'm getting rid of it..."

**(A/N: So? What do you think? It's not one of my best chapters I'll admit...the writing is a little bit iffy in places but I have to say...this chapter was harder then I thought it would be...I hope you enjoyed it!)**


	21. I trusted you

* * *

Authors note: Hmm...should I give you fluff, or shouldn't I? I need to make a list and check it twice, just to see if you deserve it. Hmm...

Disclaimer: you should know the drill by now...but just in case, I don't own anything.

Beautiful liar;

Chapter twenty-one: "I trusted you".

Sometimes, when one is put under stress they just might happen to say something they didn't mean or perhaps didn't want to say to begin with. Of course there comes a time when every truth must be brought out into the open for that truth to be bathed in the light of realization. However realizing that something is, in fact, the truth is an entirely different matter. After all, to recognise something as the truth you must first believe it and to believe something you must first rationalize it and form it into a context you can understand.

However not everything can be so easy, as one Yamanaka Ino was about to find out.

Yes, it was true that prior to the words 'I will _not_ tell them about the baby' there were indeed three very confused people occupying the room, simply because when a man says 'I'm showing' no one knows quite what to think. However, the room wasn't the only thing Ino was occupying at that moment in time. She also just so happened to be staring dumbly at Kiba as she sat on the ground, taking up floor space. But, she was not the only one stunned into silence – Aburame Shibi was also having trouble processing the words that had just left the hysterical Inuzuka's mouth.

Fortunately, the least confused of the lot but still quite confused Nara Shikamaru stared, having only been filled in about Shino's mission just moments ago, stood dumbfounded, quite the unusual state for the boy genius. He just wasn't quite sure where a baby fit into all of this. It was clear Neji had left quite a bit of detail out. But that was not the only reason for the stunned silence as it were, Kiba's most recent statement had caused Kenshi's chuckles to die in this throat, and Tsume's burning anger to flicker and die. It had caused Hana's blossoming frustration to wither and fade. All that remained was the hesitant dawning of realization, even as Neji and Shino looked on, mildly surprised at Kiba's outburst.

No longer was there a victorious smirk plastered on Inuzuka Kenshi's face, no longer was there anger or frustration in the Inuzuka women's' eyes. All there was, all that remained of the argument beforehand was the sniffles of a broken young boy, his arms wrapped around his knees as he tried desperately to hold back his tears.

Now, before venturing further into this controversy, you must first understand that the Inuzuka clan is a close-knit one and as such; it would be uncommon for a member of such a clan to want to give up a child. In all actuality, it is so uncommon that is is considered a rarity and so rare that there is not a single record in the history of the clan of an abandoned child. The mere thought of it to the clan was alien.

"Pardon me?!" Ino cried out, perplexed "can someone please explain what's going on?! What's this about a baby?!" She shot up, quickly overcoming her shock. It was at that moment Shikamaru clamped a hand over her mouth while she continued to scream out questions, muffling her words.

He frowned "Yeah," Shikamaru agreed, over Ino's muffled cries "I think it's time we got in the loop here" he stated drearily glancing at Neji and Shino from the corner of his eye. With that being said Ino's shouts died down and he released her, only to receive and annoyed punch to the arm. Wincing slightly, Shikamaru rubbed at his soar arm muttering to himself "troublesome...".

Still knelt in front of his baby cousin, Kenshi stared at him, a look of concern flooded his features "you're not serious...are you...? Bebii-chan?" he asked quietly, unable to keep the shock from his tone.

The younger boys head head shot up, glaring at his ebony-haired cousin, said cousin remained unaffected due to the red-eyed puffiness that surrounded the tortured boys gaze "yes," Kiba bit out "deadly serious" he finished, turned his head away, continuing weakly "...and don't call me that" he whined helplessly, biting his lip to hold back another sob.

"Hello" Ino started, waving her arms about as if she were trapped on a desert island, attempting to grab the attention of a passing ship "unanswered questions way over here" she stated loudly, pointing to the space she was standing in. She cheered internally when she successfully grabbed Kiba's attention. Shikamaru simply sighed, shaking his head – Ino could just be too bothersome to deal with sometimes.

The brunette simply sat, staring at Ino and Shikamaru, he wasn't sure how long it was before he spoke "I don't expect you to believe me but..." he began, his resolve to hide crumbing. He glanced briefly at Shibi, then to Neji and Shino before turning back to the boisterous blonde and bored genius "I'm-" he hesitated, Shino noticed that he looked strained "I'm p-" once again, he stopped himself finding it difficult to continue "pregnant" everyone in the room could see that the mere thought of the word caused the boy distress, but to actually say it looked physically painful.

"How?" Shikamaru asked, looking slightly alarmed. From what he had seen and heard over the pasted two weeks, it was not entirely possible to rule out the possibility that Kiba may in fact, have a child. After all, to be admitted into hospital and then to be suddenly released after a week with no improvement on Kiba's supposed condition is quite strange. Not to mention, that those aren't exactly the most common symptoms of anorexia.

"Long story" Kiba stated quietly "just please believe me...I don't wanna' lie anymore..." his gaze fell to the floor beside him.

Just as Tsume opened her mouth to speak there were two sharp taps behind her "knock, knock" came the words to accompany the noise, turning she stared in shock at the person occupying the doorway.

"Hokage-sama" Tsume stated, bowing her head slightly, Aburame Shibi did much the same thing.

Smiling, with her hand resting against the door frame, which she more likely then not knocked on, Tsunade nodded "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she began, glancing at Kiba, who had his head buried in his arms "I just came by to check out the noise...there have been..." she paused "a number of complaints" after examining the room and the people inside it for a few moments she frowned slightly as her eyes rested on the brunette and his cousin "Kiba," she said, moving further into the room "I couldn't help but over-hear-".

"I know," Kiba said, looking up at her, wiping the tears from his eyes "you don't have to say it" he sniffled lightly, the grip on his trousers tightening somewhat.

Her frowned deepened, not particularly liking being ordered around by a chuunin, however emotionally strained he may be "you can't have the abortion" she stated, her tone unforgiving. She could have sworn she saw Tsume breath a sigh of relief.

The decommissioned chuunin's eyes widened "I'm sorry," he began, his tone laced with disbelief "what?"

With a sad sigh Tsunade continued "you can't have the treatment because, to be frank, we don't know how to go about it," She stated, her gaze suggesting she was quite serious "not to mention, here's no telling what will happen to you if something were to go wrong, you're body..." there was a pause "I did some research. Your body it – it's delicate, for lack of a better word" there was a pause when Kiba's expression turned to disbelief to stunned "medically speaking, removing the baby could upset the balance of the cells in your body – you don't have to understand this, just take my word for it" she said, her gaze hardening sightly.

"No..." Kiba said quietly "I think I do need to understand. It's my body after all"

Shaking her head lightly Tsunade sighed in resignation "even if we did have a medical procedure for you...there's no telling if you'd survive or not," she paused when Kiba raised a brow "if your cells turn on you, you're natural defences would try to protect you – effectively killing you. That's why we can't risk aborting the child. It's for your own safety, Kiba." Tsunade finished folding her arms in front of her.

It was most likely having the Hokage talking civilly to Kiba about a matter as outrageous as this one that had finally caused Yamanaka Ino to collapse, clearly the realization had hit her hard and hit her fast. Shikamaru had caught her easily and sighed "I'm going to take her home" was all he said, before he adjusted her in his arms and walking slowly towards the door.

"So soon?" Tsunade asked, "I haven't even gotten to the best part yet" she stated all too innocently.

"This can get better?" Kiba asked disbelievingly.

She nodded "mm-hmm," she began "long story short; the baby is going to have to be born by caesarian" the comment caused Shikamaru to stumble slightly, almost dropping Ino as he steadied himself.

"Y-you mean the cut-me-open kind of caesarian!?" Kiba cried out in shock, watching as Tsunade nodded "w-with a knife?!" nodding again, Tsunade looked mildly surprised when Kiba slumped forwards slightly, fainting.

* * *

**- Shino - **

It has been a number of hours since Kiba and Ino were carried out and taken home. My father left an hour later, since visiting hours were over then. I am now alone, staring at the ceiling, I can't sleep even though I have tried many times in the last couple of hours and despite the fact that I really do need to sleep I can't help but worry for Kiba. It was painful to watch all that had transpired and being too incapacitated to do anything about it.

It hurt to watch Kenshi so blatantly insult him and watch him take it. I scares me that Kiba can be called a whore and silently agree the way he did. I am not sure of this myself, but I am sure I saw a flash of realization in his eyes, like he truly does believe that he is one.

I had never really thought about this before but...I can't imagine how Kiba is feeling, discovering new things about himself the way he has. It must be killing him. I am almost certain of the cause of his...his ordeal. It was that mission, over a month ago now. I think it was about five and a half weeks ago...which would make Kiba five and a half weeks pregnant, if indeed my theory is correct. It would make sense for Kiba to believe himself to be so worthless, under those circumstances, as if he were only good enough for the lowest of the low.

He just doesn't quite know that it is my fault he has ended up this way. After all, it was me who delayed the rescue, even then is wasn't much of a rescue at all, by the time we reached him, his attacker had gone. When Hinata finds out...she'll be destroyed.

I pause in my line of thought, blinking away the immanent tears that were sure to flow. It pains me to know that I had failed Kiba for a second time, with the failure of my most recent mission – once again my mind halts in it's musings as I listening to the slow, steady foot steps echoing through the hall, it must be one of the nurses making their rounds, I think to myself, attempting to return to sleep, not entirely taken with my dismal line of thought.

My senses heighten as I heard the door slide open, and the footsteps getting closer, after a while they stop, I can tell whoever it is is looming over me, as I can feel their eyes on me. After a few moments of nothing happening I open my eyes slowly, behind my glasses. I have to hold back a gasp upon taking a look at my visitors face.

It's Kiba.

He looks like he's contemplating something as his hand is hanging over my arm, more likely then not he's trying to decide whether or not to wake me up. He's still in the cloths he was wearing this morning, but his hair isn't quite as neat, like he'd just woken up. I mentally sigh when Kiba still hasn't made a move "Kiba" I state blandly, effectively frightening the life out of him. How do I know this? He jumped about three feet backwards yelping.

"S-Shino" he whispered, calming himself.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, not wanted to risk an awkward silence. It's strange, when Kiba is in quiet for too long, he always seems to clam up, especially as of late.

"W-well I...wanted to...talk...to you" he said slowly, okay, perhaps scaring him wasn't the best plan, but at least it was fun while it lasted. Now he's nervous, which means he'll take a while to open up...but then again, I'm in a hospital, alone, with all the time in the world. I can wait.

"You knew, didn't you?" he asked, with an annoyed edge to his tone. Perhaps he wasn't as nervous as I first thought. I raise a brow.

"Knew what?" I ask, playing dumb.

With a low grown, Kiba plopped himself onto my bed, glaring at the door "don't be stupid" he hisses "me, you knew about me, didn't you?" he asked again, his glare hardening.

I frown lightly, attempting to sit up and failing miserably. I sigh "yes Kiba" I say, watching his gaze flicker to me at the corner of his eye "I knew...Neji and Sakura knew too, while we're being honest-" I grunted slightly when I felt Kiba's fist connect with my arm, interrupting my sentence.

"You ass" he says, standing "not only couldn't you be patient, but you also had to drag over people into it?" he turned around, glaring at me, I could see the hurt in his eyes "I trusted you" he said "I trusted you and you betrayed me – again" he hissed, the pain evident in his tone. He didn't shout, he had enough sense to know it was late and other people were sleeping.

We stared at each other, for how long? I don't know. But after a moment, he scoffed and shook his head, turning swiftly on his heels and storming towards the door "I am still unsure about what it is I did to hurt you the first time" I blurt out, I didn't want him to leave like this. He's already in pain, I don't want to hurt him even more.

Immediately after the words left my mouth he stopped, paused and ran up to me, yanking me up by the collar of my shirt and pressed his lips against mine, neither of our lips moved to the angry kiss and after a moment Kiba pushed me back down onto the bed roughly "Does that jog your memory?" he asked, his voice was laced with anger. I opened my mouth in an attempt to answer only to be silenced as Kiba continued his rant "my first kiss" he hissed, confusing me "I gave you my _first kiss_".

"I still don't understand" I say, it was true, I am unsure of how giving me a kiss warrants his anger.

He shook his head "no, of course not. I showed you just how much I trust you and you _throw it back in my face_" I can't help but notice that he's tearing up slightly as he sits himself back down on my bed "by dumping me in this god-forsaken building" oh, I understand now...I'm sorry...

"I was worried for your health," I say, I know it's a little bit too late to try and justify my actions but I do not wish for him to hate me so "I didn't know what else I could do for you if you hadn't been in hospital" I heart aches as I watch a silent tear slip down his beautiful face. I blink to myself; did I just call Kiba beautiful? With a sigh I shrug it off and attempt to once again sit up.

This time, Kiba takes notice of my struggles and helps me, leaning me gently against the headboard. I sigh slightly, it's quite annoying – chakra deprivation, it'll be a while yet before I get my strength back. He sighs, looking at me sadly "you're in here because of me aren't you?" I can do nothing but nod and I wince slightly at the apologetic look he sends me.

"Well," I begin "strictly speaking, I am here because of my own actions – you were merely the reason I over-exerted myself. It's not your fault, it is my own impatience" there was a pause "I wanted to help you..." he blinks at me, astonished "I thought that if I found the one who attacked you..."

Shaking his head, Kiba turned to me "please don't," he said, and I opened my mouth to protest "he's dangerous" he continued before I had the chance, another tear rolled down his cheek "I don't want you to get hurt..."

After a moment I sigh, not particularly wanting to start up another argument now that we appeared to be on the best of terms since his admittance to and release from hospital "Kiba" I say quietly, grabbing his attention, noticing he'd gone into some sort of daze "there is something I have been meaning to give you" I say, watching him blink in surprise.

"Oh yeah?" he asks "what?"

"Come closer" I say, much to my horror. Of all the things I could of said, it had to have been the most cliché of them all, didn't it? Thankfully, Kiba doesn't seem to notice and does as he was asked, I can just about make out the slight blush on his cheeks in the dim light of the candle in the corner of the room.

I lean forwards only slightly when he gets close enough, and claim his soft lips with my own. I pull away after a moment "I've been meaning to give you that for a long whi- mph" his lips reclaim mine applying just a little bit more pressure, I can't help but suck a little on his lower lip, causing him to let out a soft moan, I take the opportunity to gently ghost my tongue over his upper lip.

His hands, that had previously been resting on my shoulders moved up, his left hand now rested on the back of my neck whilst his right ran through my hair. With a little bit more effort then I had thought it would take, I rested one of my hands on Kiba's leg as he climbed over me, effectively straddling me.

Our tongues battled for dominance, and, much to my enjoyment, I was winning. Kiba moaned my name into my mouth and I whispered his huskily. He tasted...he moaned again, interrupted my train of thought, I savoured that sound. So like music. He tasted so...we pulled away for a brief second, grabbing the little air that we could before out lips joined together once again. He tasted so sweet, Kiba's hand gripped my hair just a little tighter. I whisper Kiba's name again, unable to find exactly what it is he tastes like.

He moaned my name again before we pulled away from each other abruptly and turned towards the door at the sound of someone clearing their throat "K-Kenshi?!" Kiba cried, alarmed at the appearance of his cousin.

Glaring at the pair of us, Kenshi glowered "Kiba, get the hell home"

Kiba frowned, looking from me to Kenshi "But I-"

"_Now_" he insisted, his glare hardening. Hastily, Kiba scrambled off me and I found myself already missing his warmth. I don't blame him for leaving though, Kenshi is quite ruthless and Kiba is in no state to fight back. Quickly, Kiba left the scene looking like a frightened rabbit, and Kenshi followed him towards the door, but he apparently wasn't leaving.

He closed the door silently, and strolled up to me, staring coldly.

There was at least a minute of silence between us before he grabbed me roughly by the collar and yanked me forwards so our faces were level "okay, Aburame. I'm going to say this once and once only – got it?" he said, glaring darkly at me "Kiba is _mine_ to break" with that he pushed back onto the bed "Stay the hell away from him" he growled out before turning briskly on his heels and leaving, slamming the door behind him.

**(A/N: Okay, how was that? I'm quite proud of it myself. It's longer then usual too, but that's okay because you got fluff out of it, ne?)**


	22. Trickery

Authors note: I'm sorry for the slight delay in my update, I have a little case of Writer's Block and I also happen to not be feeling my best. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: ...Meh...

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter twenty-two: Trickery.

There are not a great many things that can grate the nerves of the Akatsuki members. Of course every person has their limit to what they can and cannot stand. Especially if that limit is tested over a long period of time. However that is not the case on every occasion, after all, it all depends on patience.

For example, if one had a great deal of patience such as; Uchiha Itachi, then it should be relatively easy in terms of preventing oneself from strangling ones partner, who may well have been stepping over his boundaries. Patience, as many shinobi know, is key. Of course there were always the few who never really seemed to grasp the concept of waiting quietly, for the right moment to make their move. Instead those few choose to jump in, without a decent strategy and get it over and done with as quickly as humanly possible.

Which, in turn means that the Akatsuki member; Hidan, is a prime example. Yes, despite common belief, being immortal may mean that he has no need for patience or a strategy, but that does not excuse the fact that he, this immortal – Hidan, is still a brash hot-head with a short temper and a foul mouth.

However, no matter what people may say, patiences wears thin quickly during conflict, no matter how much you may possess. This, unfortunately, was the situation that faced a testy blond male who was currently stood beside an empty wagon, which was soon to be loaded with the various miscellaneous items surrounding its base, arguing with his very own partner, who – truly was being quite insufferable.

"If you just take off that god damned mask, you wouldn't _have_ to hide in the wagon and I wouldn't _have _to smuggle you in!" he shouted in annoyance, roughly pulling the plain white ribbon from his hair, letting it fall gracefully onto his shoulders.

At this his masked partner shook his head "Sorry Senpai, there are just some things not even Tobi would do for a mission" beneath his mask, he watched with a frown as Deidara pulled his hair into a low pony-tail, and allowing some of the loose bangs to frame his face, scowling all the while "Besides," he said quickly "What's wrong with sneaking in?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

Irritation showed clear as day on the blonds face, his scowl deepened and his eyebrow twitched. Unable to do much else, he stood in complete silence, unmoving. He focused on calming himself enough so as to not blow up the orange annoyance he was forced to call his partner. After a deep breath, his scowl loosened to a deep frown as he began tugging off his Akatsuki cloak.

"Because, yeah. That thing you call a mask isn't exactly unnoticeable" he hissed angrily, there was a slight pause as Tobi had the discarded item of clothing thrown at him, catching him right in the face "we're going through the front gate, make sure you hid your chakra, and try to remember to suffocate. I don't want to be caught with breathing blankets, yeah" he growled out, gently pulling off the metallic eyepiece and placing it into his clay pouch.

"Senpai...?" Tobi asked after a considerable silence passed between them, the only sound being that of Deidara's cloths, rustling as they were removed and replaced with other items, in the hope Deidara would pass for a travelling sales merchant.

He paused in his preparations, and slumped his shoulders slightly when he realized Tobi wasn't going to leave him alone any time soon "what?" he spat, making sure to add a bitter edge to his tone.

There was a pause as the masked man shifted slightly, pulling Deidara's cloak from his face "why are we going after him?" Deidara wasn't sure but he could almost swear he'd heard a hint of jealousy in Tobi's question. It was then Deidara spared him a glance, hoping to read him for all his worth, but it was in vain, as only upon seeing the orange obstruction he was faced with did he remember the Tobi never took that moronic lollipop of a mask off.

The prospect of jealousy in someone like Tobi was alien to the ex-Iwa-nin, turning back around he pulled a simple white shirt over his shoulders with a thoughtful mist clouding his sapphire orbs. He didn't reply instantly, instead choosing to phrase his words carefully, there were some things that were best left alone, Tobi's jealousy was one of them. "He's weak," Deidara began turning back around with a sly smirk plastered on his features "in hospital last time I checked, yeah. Some kind of eating disorder".

The hand that was running itself in the the masked man's hair stopped suddenly, quickly said hand rested by his side "and you're still going to kidnap him?" yes, Tobi may have been a member of Akatsuki, but he wasn't a fan of kicking a man when he was down.

A sigh was what filled the silence between them "not kidnap." Deidara stated firmly "just take...without notification, yeah" with that he stood his head, finally finished with his disguise and gesturing for Tobi get get in the wagon. He obeyed, climbing none too happily into the back of the wooden monstrosity.

He watched as Deidara reached into his clay pouch which he'd taken off then they had stopped to make the preparations for the infiltration. Clearly sensing someone watching him, the blond turned to his ebony-haired partner "What?" he asked flatly, annoyed that Tobi hadn't hidden himself yet.

"Are you even sure he's still in the hospital?" Tobi asked, once again tilting his head in curiosity, he began to bury himself underneath the cloth that had been laying motionless next to him.

Regarding his partner with a flat look Deidara sighed "think, Tobi." he stated, with slouched shoulders "if I was sure, I wouldn't be going through all the trouble off pulling you around in wagon with this god-awful shirt on, yeah" his eyes narrowed slightly as he eyed the dirty, faded and frayed material of the distasteful garment.

After a silent moment and a hidden quizzical frown, Tobi nodded, tugging the old linen over his head with an annoyed grunt "okay, Deidara-Senpai" was all he said. Once said Senpai was satisfied with the way Tobi had hidden himself, he loaded up the rest of the small items and sighed.

Walking up to the side, Deidara pulled up Tobi's coverings and tossed his clay pouch at him "look after that, don't lose it, yeah" was what was said before he pulled the linen over his partner once again "now shut up and mask your chakra" he commanded as he began pulling the wagon along.

"...Okay Senpai" came the muffled sound, Deidara frowned slightly as he moved towards the gates of Konoha. Was it just him or did something seem a bit off about Tobi?

* * *

Although the news of Kiba's...unique condition was only released the previous day, said news travelled quickly, After all, thanks to Ino the remaining members of Team Asuma discovered the news for themselves. Chouji and Asuma had been quite shocked. Speaking of Asuma, thanks to him, Kurenai and Hinata had been the next to find out.

Needless to say, Hinata fainted on the spot.

However, once Hinata recovered she had accidentally let it slip to her cousin, Neji – who, unbeknownst to herself already knew, but he took it as a go ahead to speak, calmly and collectively with his Team mates.

However, Tenten being as busy as she was with her training had mis-aimed in her shock, causing it to fly straight over Lee's head. Lee himself had been punching a tree at the time, intent on improving his skills. He had been so shocked he had turned to face Neji almost immediately, subsequently forgetting about the fist currently aimed towards the tree. In doing this, his fist hit the tree, completely unprepared for the pain that shot through his arm.

However, it did not stop there, as the minute the words left his mouth, Gai-sensei had no time to be shocked – he had immediately ran off to inform his hip rival, Hatake Kakashi, who's duty it was to inform Gai that he was in fact just a little bit too late, for Sakura had already spread the word amongst the group.

This chain of events lead to the entire circle of friends and their families knowing of the phenomenon that is Inuzuka Kiba, who at this very moment was walking casually alongside a silence Shino and a chattering Ino, who, was currently nagging his the Inuzuka's ears off with Akamaru trailing along lazily behind her. Yes, it had been two days since the incident in the hospital, Shino had been released from from building the day before. Unfortunately, he still found it difficult to walk on his own; therefore did so with the aid of crutches.

"Kami, Kiba! I know you don't want the baby but I really think you should take the iron tablets!" Ino arguing, her tone laced with both irritation and concern – Kiba, unfortunately, was still having trouble figuring out how that worked "I got these from Tsunade herself! You know it's been proven that most pregnant wo-" she stumbled over her words briefly "people, lack iron. After all, there _are_ two of you!" She finished, staring at Kiba pointedly.

To Shino, this was a decidedly uncomfortable topic for Kiba and sighed silently, watching as the younger boy sighed tiredly at her "Look Ino, thanks and all but I'll be fine" he said looking at the floor, a slightly peeved expression on his face "and can you keep your voice down, we're in public" he finished quietly. It was true, presently the three of them were wondering slowly out of the busy market place, although you could be almost certain no one would hear you over the shouts of salesmen calling out the name and prices of their goods and the chatter of the civilians as they moved passed.

There was silence within the group for a minute or two, the conversation having died down since then "I still think you should take them" Ino mumbled to Kiba off-handedly as she moved to make space for passing wagon, blushing slightly as the blond stranger winked at her slyly causing her to giggle as she wave at him in awe.

Shino frowned slightly, moving to stand behind Kiba, glancing over his shoulder to stare at the blond, "Shikamaru would not be pleased to see you flirt with another man" Shino stated monotonously, causing Kiba to jump in surprise. Ino Turned around, only to find Kiba with a rosy pink blush running across his face.

She laughed, and waved Shino off, as they continues on with their journey "oh, it's okay, Shikamaru knows it's harmless fun...not to mention Chouji's used to it" she began, smiling innocently "plus he was gorgeous – Kiba?" she questioned worriedly, glancing behind her. She turned only to find Kiba frozen in place sniffing the air slightly.

The colour faded slightly from his cheeks '_no, don't be stupid...this is a market, people are bound to be selling peaches and clay ornaments_' he reasoned with himself '_get a grip Kiba_'.

"..iba" the Inuzuka blinked rapidly, bringing himself back from his musings "Kiba, are you alright?" he heard Shino voice in front of him, glancing at the elder boy he nodded frantically, the rosy colour flooding his face once again.

"Y-yeah" he said quickly, moving to catch up to his friends. They continued their journey, Kiba glancing over his shoulder as he went. Perhaps, it was just him being paranoid, but why now? Why now after so long had passed without much of a hitch – concerning his attacker at least.

**- Kiba -**

I don't know what it was, but I couldn't help but move just a bit closer to Shino, something weird is going on, and I really hope I'm imagining things. I had half a mind to go home, but I figured I'd drop the idea – they might think something's wrong and pressure me about it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I want to tell them about him. I mean...what I know about him at least; what he's capable of. He's way too strong, whoever that guy is. I'd die before I let him hurt anyone.

I'd hate myself if he did to them what he did to me. Although, I suppose if it were to happen – they wouldn't have the same consequences. But then again, there really is no up-side to rape. They'd still have the mental scars and it'd be on my conscience.

I gulp when I feel myself start to shake when we break out of the crowded market. Even if he was here, and...guessing he'd be back in there with the crowds doesn't really comfort me...After all – he could do real damage in there if he wanted to, I think. At the moment, I really wish Shino wasn't so...I shake my head minutely, it's my fault he's like that – no matter what he says...if I... hadn't been so stubborn and told him then he wouldn't be like this, I wince slightly at the ping of guilt that hits my heart.

"So, Kiba" I hear Ino say, considerably happier then he was moments ago. I look at her and 'hm?' curiously in response. "Word is you have a crush on someone." She states with a sly smirk, I can't help but choke on my saliva as the words leave her mouth – I know it doesn't sound like a nice thing to do, and trust me it's not. Who'da thunk it.

It's not a savoury thought; but other then blood I didn't think you could choke on any other bloody fluid...I did say it wasn't a nice thought "w-what!?" I choke out, recovering from my shock, and continuing to move forwards, since I had stopped during my choking fit. Shino raises his brow at me and I shrug, I'm pretty sure I look damn uncertain of myself, which causes a bright red blush to flood my features.

Beside me, Ino giggles like she's just found the juiciest piece of gossip to drink up "YOU DO!" she cried, clapping a little to herself in some sort of strong burst of girlie excitement.

I stare at her with wide eyes for a moment, before I turn away, with my chin up and my arms folded across my chest with the snobbiest expression I could think up on the spot plastered on my face "don't be ridiculous" I state, it makes me laugh – I sound quite a bit like Neji right now.

Shino glances at me from the corner of his eye and sighs "come, the others are waiting" he states monotonously. I can't help but feel my shoulders relax at his voice, it's so deep, it calms me...I find myself wishing he'd use it more. But it didn't take a genius to figure out that we hadn't talked about what had that night at the hospital...

Was it just me, or did Shino sound mildly irritated?

But Shino was right, we're supposed to be meeting everyone at some stupid picnic at the training grounds. My Ma' said it'd be a good way to 'face my fears', as she puts it. After all, I am well and truly a freak, I swallow a little when I realize that I'm not just a freak I'm- well, Kenshi's told me enough times for it to be burned into my mind.

I suppose it doesn't help that he hasn't spoken to me since he found me at the hospital...on top of Shino... Well, apart from calling me a whore when he got home that is. But he's right, I mean...I still have the nerve to...to practically _make out_ with someone while they're wounded and I'm, I shiver slightly at the thought – _knocked up._

Kenshi is so right...

I'm not surprised...he always is.

**(A/N: Okay...I'm really sorry I didn't update last week...I had an odd mood swing that prevented my creative juices from flowing...otherwise known as Extreme Boredom or Mild Depression. I'm not sure which...either way it doesn't matter – it only lasted a day. I'm all better xD**

**And yes, I'm really, really sorry this chapter wasn't terribly exciting but I really was stuck for ideas on this chapter, especially when it came to scene two..which in my opinion isn't great. I honestly had no idea where to go. But don't worry. Next chapter will be GREAT. I promise. There'll be quite a bit gone on, can anyone guess? I think it's obvious, but guess anyways! -hint, hint-)**


	23. Malevolence

Authors note: Sorry for the long wait, I've just been so busy. You know, it's not nice not having a proper weekend for two weeks running. School made me do work!

Disclaimer: I own everything! Even your souls! As of THIS moment! ...I don't really. I want to, but I don't.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter twenty-three: Malevolence.

Simply put, today was your standard cliché morning, the sun shone brightly – almost blindingly down upon the earth, anyone would have to squint to stop themselves from walking into things due to the rays. The birds sang, although you couldn't see them, Birds had always been the type of thing you had to look for if you wanted to find the source of a noise...or was it pleasant chirping? Who knows, it's all a matter of perspective really.

Idealistically, one would usually spend their days outside if one felt the need, which isn't exactly what a certain Inuzuka would want to be doing with his time, yet, considering the circumstances, it can't be helped. Then again, sharing the company of a lazy genius who, like himself, felt that this is all too troublesome...wasn't half bad.

However it's not like this day goes entirely without purpose. After all. To this Inuzuka, not one day was ever wasted, definitely not when in the company of the _famous_ Inuzuka Kiba. Although, saying that the ebony haired teen was with Kiba at this present moment in time would just be a lie. He hadn't even arrived yet.

Yes, Inuzuka Kenshi had been dragged along for the outing too. He didn't necessarily want to be there, but then again, being alongside Shikamaru and a supposedly big-boned friend of his, Kenshi could see why the Genius did it – nothing, that is. Watching the clouds and laying on the grass...it was relaxing... a chance to let go.

**- Kenshi - **

Yeah, maybe I don't want to be here but then again, at least I'm not having to hold up a conversation I don't really want to be having. Pineapple-head didn't seem to mind too much went I dumped myself down next to him. I suppose it's one of the upsides to this guy – he just doesn't care. Not as long as no one's in danger. I gotta' admit, I heard stories about him – this guy's head is deadly. I tell ya', I do not want to be there the day he has a mental break down. Who knows what kind of crazy shit this guy'll do.

Shikamaru, Chouji and I are laying on a hill, a little north to the rest of the group. That weapon-happy chick couldn't make it. I think she said something about a mission. Neji's gone with her. Lee...well, he stayed. It's creepy how upset that guy was when he was told that Gai...person...thing, he was leaving with the rest of his team.

Actually now that I think about it, this'll be the first time Hinata has seen Kiba since the news was spread. I don't even know if Kiba knows we all know now. This should be fun. I sigh slightly as I rest my head my my hands as I lie on my back. Oh yeah, all of Team Kakashi have buggered off...without Naruto. So we're stuck with that loud-mouthed moron for the day. Fun.

I can't help but mentally roll my eyes at this hole thing. Oh, boo-hoo, Kiba's life is ruined, break out the tissues while I try and cheer him up. What a waste of time and effort. More likely then not he doesn't even what to come. I'm sure he'll be much happier mopping around like the useless fuck he is.

Seriously, when I passed my Chuunin exams, did anyone pay attention to me- Whatever. I'm not thinking about this now. It's all Kiba's fault anyway. If he was just stronger then none of this would have happened.

Weakling.

I bite my lip in aggravation. I tried so hard to protect him, if he would just stay with me...I could get to work on him faster. I blink and sit up when I here shouts – shouts calling for Kiba. He must has just arrived. I grumble and stand, ambling back over to the crowds to greet my Baby cousin. Beside me, Shikamaru is showing just about as much enthusiasm for Kiba's arrival as I am. Albeit for totally different reasons.

The three of us wonder over and I stop in my tracks upon seeing the Aburame boy present. I curse mentally – I forgot he was being released today. I'm glad that this doesn't faze me – not for long. He needs crutches to stand and I can't help the smirk that slides onto my features.

Keeping up my façade, anger and irritation boil inside of me as I see Kiba take hold of Shino sleeve tugging it lightly. I'm not listening to what they're saying – I don't care. Gesturing towards a large oak, Kiba smiles as Shino allows himself to be led to it, so that be may sit down. I take notice that Aburame Shibi and Tsume are talking quietly, and again I have no interest in what they're talking about.

All I can here right now is the screaming of my anger, wanting to burst out. I am not jealous of Shino, nor am I jealous of Kiba. I am angry _at _Kiba. I am angry at myself; I am angry at the clan. My smirk has long since disappeared; my gaze softens as I watch Hinata-bebii fret over Kiba all the while, looking next to completely lost as to how to handle Kiba's situation. She's crying softly, she's apologising. Blaming herself. She's wrong. It's Kiba's fault. Not hers.

Kiba's saying it's not her fault – she didn't know better, he's agreeing with me, blaming himself – as he should be. Lee and Naruto are making stupid promises with each other. Ino is telling exaggerated stories to Chouji and Shikamaru – something about a hot blond guy. I pray she's not talking about Naruto. Shikamaru sighs, bored. Chouji stuffs his face while chatting to Shizune who wonders over with a small polite smile plastered on her face. She was most likely sent to attend today for, Kiba's sake.

Tch. So it's no different here, then. Kiba still manages to find ways to waste people's time.

"Oi, Kenshi!" I turn my head towards the source of the noise. Kiba looks up to me, a smile on his face; sat next to Shino at the base of the tree, Hinata glued to his side too.

I scowl "what?" I bite out with a little more venom then intended. Mentally, I smirk triumphantly as Kiba shrinks slightly into himself. It pisses me off; how he thinks he has the _right _ to talk to me like we're equals. It pisses me off even more, knowing that he can grate my nerves without even trying.

I love Kiba.

That is, at least, what I tell myself. He's my baby cousin, 'look out for the Pups' is what my Aunt would always say. I try – I try so _hard_ to listen to her. I do; I can't. She's so full of nonsense "n-nothing, Kenshi...I just wanted you...to sit with us..." Kiba mumbles pathetically. Beside him, Shino frowns slightly, I'm sure it was over Kiba's behaviour more then the prospect of sitting with me. Shino, although I've only known him for a few months...isn't the type to slow dislike for someone so openly...unless it's Naruto. From the minimum amount of verbal exchange they go through, I can tell their friendship is strained at best.

I nod slightly...almost force myself to look like I'm doing this willingly. I trudge over; refusing to sit down. After a bout an hour or so of chatting aimlessly, I watch from the corner of my eye as Shino whispers to Ino, she nodded every few times, clutching a medicine bottle with increasing pressure with every word. Eventually she moves away and practically skips over to Kiba who was off, somewhere else...playing fetch with Akamaru or...something, whatever all I know is that my dog, Kagemaru, is with them.

Shino and I sit in silence for a moment. I can safely say I surprised the both us us by letting out a deep, menacing growl "Shino," I say suddenly, he glances at me through his glasses "You didn't do as I said" his brow creases, I'm not sure if he's angry or confused, or even both, all I know is I've worked up a reaction.

"I have no intention of leaving Kiba in your hands." He counters swiftly, which only causes me to growl deeper as I jump to my feet – dragging him with me. There are a few surprised gasps, and I can't help the smug grin that forms as Shino leans heavily on my arms to keep upright.

I push him violently against the tree behind him "I wonder..." I trail off, staring at him – Shino's brows furrow even more, I'm sure I have a strange glint my my eyes. I run my eyes over him, examining him in mock contemplation "I wonder...would it be appropriate to beat a cripple" I chuckle a little, it sounds cruel – it was, and it sounded a little insane if you ask me...but, oh well.

I hear rushed footfall and all too suddenly, I am seized by the arm "Don't Kenshi!" came the desperate cry of my cousin – I can tell Aburame Shibi was just about to intervene himself, since he'd moved about three paces forwards.

I growl viciously, shaking my arm free of Kiba's grasp, I swing it backwards, a sharp crack fills the surrounding area. Birds even flew from their branches, and a tense silence filled the air. I swivel around on the balls of my feet with Shino still firmly in my grasp, Kiba stares at me like I've grown two heads, gripping his reddened cheek. I don't think I've ever hit him before. I snarl at him – feeling no remorse "don't _ever_ tell me what to do...Bebii-chan" I say, all too calmly.

He whimpers pitifully and realization hits me – this could ruin everything I've worked for. I drop Shino; he falls to the ground with a graceless thump...I have to suppress my laughter. Kiba's eyes wonder over me in a confused yet wild haze, searching me for any signs that he had in fact, done something wrong.

Shaking my head, a slowly move to him, gently prying his hand away from his reddened cheek. I cup his head in my hands and slowly, ever so slowly, run my tongue over his swollen tattoo. He's shaking slightly. I scold myself mentally. I shouldn't scared Kiba like this, it could mess everything up.

There is a clearing of a throat behind me and I turn around – completely unprepared for the fist that flew at my me – the next thing I know, I'm stumbling backwards, whipping blood from the corner of my mouth. The Aburame is standing there, slowly lowering his fist as he leans on a single crutch, quite heavily. Sneaky bastard.

**- Normal -**

The stillness was all but broken – mostly. Kiba stood in stunned silence, watching helplessly as his elder cousin lunged at his team mate. Taking a blow to the gut, Shino curled into himself. Raising his fist high, so that he might injure Shino to a greater extent, Kenshi couldn't suppress the maniac grin that cross over his features.

Further back, behind all the commotion, Shikamaru raised his hands into an all too familiar seal and knelt down, outstretching his shadow hastily, only to pause before the jutsu reached his target – that target being Inuzuka Kenshi. Kiba reached over, grabbing Kenshi's extended arm tightly sniffing at the air relentlessly "Kenshi" he said quickly, glancing around "do you smell that?"

At this, Kenshi let his attack on Shino slide, choosing to focus solely on Kiba for the moment "smell what?" Kenshi asked, irritation evident in his tone. The father to the Aburame boy walked over, regarding his son carefully, examining him for any wounds.

Seeing no reason to hold the jutsu, Shikamaru released it and stood muttering to himself "Troublesome..." Chouji patted his shoulder sympathetically, consoling him. Glancing around quickly, Kiba returned to sniffing the air.

Frowning upon feeling his baby cousin tense so suddenly, he took hold of Kiba's shoulder, snapping Kiba out of his daze "peaches" Kiba said quickly, the ebony haired teen couldn't help but be confused at the graveness in which his cousin spoke "and clay".

The tense silence was broken, once again, but this time, by the unlikeliest source "why were you fighting?" Aburame Shibi asked, the tone he used indicating the staying silent was not an option.

"I was protecting Kiba" both Shino and Kenshi chimed at once, both sounded a little more then irritated. Naruto and Lee glanced at one another, almost certain that neither Shino or Kenshi knew the definition of 'protection'. Tsume and Shizune would be having words with them later. Team Asuma stayed silent, unsure what to make of this whole thing, Hinata doing much the same thing.

Returning his attention to is cousin, Kenshi sighed "yes, I can smell them, what about it?" he asked, Not liking the idea of having to depend on his little baby cousin for answers.

"I think he's here" he whispered out, looking nothing short of terrified.

At this Shino stood, with the assistance of his father and slowly made his way over to Kiba "who?" he asked calmly, not wanting to panic the Inuzuka further.

Gulping, Kiba began to shake, visibly "the one that did" he took a deep breath and gestured to himself "_this_, to me" Shino's brow furrowed, was he really here? How long? Was he watching all this time?

Tsume gasped "you mean..." all Kiba could do was nod as he stood there, shaking.

"Oh, damn. I think I missed my introduction, yeah"

**(A/N: So, I hope you enjoyed it. I have to say, this was quite difficult to write. And, I'll admit that I HAD planned and all-out fist fight...but I had to scrap it. It didn't work out...we broke up. You know you want to tell me how to do my job -coughreviewcoughpleasecoughcough-)**


	24. A Lion's pride

Authors note: Alright, so, here's the situation. **I haven't finished the editing**! But, I'm already **a week behind schedule** and I couldn't postpone this any long – I'd feel horrible. Well, worse then I do now. So, to make it up to you, I'm making this chapter extra long – I hope. -smiles widely-.

Disclaimer: I will buy EVERYTHING one day!

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter Twenty-four: A lion's pride.

That voice rang through the air. Everything seemed to still. It was like a chisel chipping away at ice. It seemed to Kiba, to be a knife ripping at his very soul. A cold chill ran down his spine, the cool blade penetrated him deeply, freezing him in place. His breathing came in deep ragged breaths. He couldn't concentrate. His mind in utter chaos.

He just about registered people moving around him, he felt something nudging at his leg. Looking down he saw Akamaru, he couldn't help but pat his companion gentle on the head, although, barely moving an inch to do so. He heard voices around him, blurry and unclear. Shouting, they were shouting – orders and commands, demands, questions. The works.

The next thing he knew, he'd been swept off his feet, turned around – an angry Kenshi glowered at him "Damn it, Kiba! I said: _move_!" with that he was forced from his stupor. Kiba glanced around, finding himself several feet away from the tree he'd previously been standing under. He was near a different tree – it's leaves thick, showing no signs that autumn was approaching. Kenshi was crouched in a battle stance, in front of Kiba, growling openly at the new arrival.

Across from him, Shino was stood, lent of crutches, behind his father, who stood diligently to protect his son. Shikamaru seemed to have disappeared, Lee and Tsume were stood, in battle stances of their own further ahead.

"Akatsuki..." was muttered somewhere behind him – Kiba turned slightly, Hana was there – Akamaru by her side – she didn't bring the Haimaru siblings, after all. It made him worry a little about his mother, Kuromaru was still at home.

They glared, the blond in front of them stood, unaffected by all the commotion. In fact, he seemed to be ignoring them completely, even as Hinata activated her Byakugan and forming her stance. Peering from behind a tree, not far from the blond bomber, Shikamaru signalled to Ino who nodded and in turned signalled to Chouji.

Kagemaru stood fast by Kenshi – both seemed intent of protecting the younger male.

Sighing, the blond shrugged and shook his head "I have a name, yeah" There was a slight pause "we only came for Inuzuka Kiba-kun, anyway" he grinned largely at the confused look on some of their faces "Tobi!" he stated loudly. Hana sniffled the air, calling out that there was indeed, a 'Tobi' present.

There was a curse coming from behind the tree Shikamaru was stationed at – both he and a masked figured launched from the tree. Forming a quick seal while still suspended in the air, Shikamaru's shadow began to extend, Hana jumped for the man with the orange mask as he arms encircled themselves around Kiba – his quick reactions failing him. Kiba's captor was quick – too quick. In no time at all, Shikamaru had managed to hold down no one but Hana, who growled in frustration. The genius cursed loudly.

The next moment he was beside the blond, matching coat and all "I did it, Deidara-senpai!" the blond – Deidara smirked lightly, nodding. He grabbed Kiba by the collar of his shirt, yanking the boy towards him. The petrified boy found himself flush against his rapist.

Hinata gasped loudly, rushing forwards a few steps before being held back by Naruto "It's me your after! Let Kiba go!" Naruto yelled angrily – his eyes flickering from a calming Azure to a fiery amber.

The tallest of the pair laughed loudly "Sorry, Naruto-kun. Not today. We need him" he gestured to Kiba.

"W-what do you want w-with him?!" Hinata cried desperately, wishing she could some how help her team mate. Although he was the furthest away from Kiba's attacker and although he was in no condition to fight, Shino's mind worked quickly to plot ways in which to get Kiba back. He was almost as desperate as Hinata – if not more so.

Laughing again, Deidara couldn't hold back a smirk "oh, this and that, yeah" he chuckled again; to add insult to injury, he ran his fingers gently through Kiba's hair, man, was he having fun "so, tell me, Lion. How's your _pride_?" he questioned, taking Kiba's chin between his thumb and index finger.

Rushing forwards, unable to hold back her anger, Tsume growled "_If you hurt him I swear I'll-_" With a sigh, the enemy blond pulled out a kunai effortlessly from his leg holster, holding it dangerously close to Kiba's neck, causing Tsume to freeze in place.

"You'll what?" his azure eyes glittered with mischief – yet held a certain malice, promising that this was indeed not an empty threat "let your pup die?" he smirked, shoving Kiba into Tobi "now seems to be a good chance to try out that jutsu of yours, Tobi"

Nodding slightly, Tobi formed a few quick seals and placed his hands on the confused boys head, soon after, Kiba's eyes began to feel heavy "no..." he whispered weakly, collapsing into Deidara's masked companion. All the while, Deidara rummaged through his clay pouched, pulling out two small clay birds and tossing them into the air.

He smirked, waving mockingly at the Konoha-nin, taking a sleeping Kiba into his arms, he jumped into his bird as Tobi mounted the other. Once a safe distance from the ground, he smirked, pulling out a ball of clay, no bigger then a marble "if only I had time to mould it" he sighed out. Looking over the edge of his clay eagle "I hope you enjoy this – It's quite a familiar technique to Kiba-kun" he laughed, as they tried to flee the area to get away from the blast.

Too late.

They had been blown off their feet. The ex Iwa-nin just grinned, motioning for Tobi to follow him, they flew away calmly. That had been far too easy. He frowned slightly, gazing at Kiba's serene features – they had practically given away Kiba, even after trying so hard to protect him. Their defences crumbled too easily. Not that he was complaining, although he hadn't had a good fight since...Deidara scoffed and shook his head, speeding up slightly. They only had a few days to get back to base.

* * *

Giggles filled the air as a couple strolled through a breezy clearing. Shameless flirting had ensued less then a few days ago. Rouge eyes sparkled with happiness, as warm hands encircled one another. She laughed louder at her companion's protest had having the cigarette pulled from between his lips.

"Kurenai" he cooed, in an almost desperate attempt to get his cigarette back. He knew he could always light another one, but that's such a waste.

Watching as ebony eyes glistened with playfulness, the corners of painted lips tugged into a small, sweet smile "Asuma" she said, pulling the cigarette out of reach as Asuma tried to grab it "I wish you'd quit" she sighed, plopping the cancer-stick back into his awaiting mouth.

Pausing, the tanned male pulled the smaller woman into his strong embrace "for you, anything – after new years" he chuckled out the last bit, receiving a light smack on the arm from the Captain of Team Kurenai.

His laughter stopped abruptly, when he noticed a figure rising unsteadily from the ground. His eyes widened, as the lone figure stumbled forwards slightly. Both he and Kurenai rushed forwards. The closer they got the more frantic they became. Especially once they recognised the weakened figure "Shibi-san!" Kurenai cried out, allowing herself to be used as support when she reached the elder Aburame.

Shibi glanced around slightly "Kurenai...?" he questioned weakly "the others..." he began "help – they need help" with that Asuma rushed off, the direction Shibi had come. Not long after that did the Aburame's knee's give-way.

"Kurenai!" came Asuma's far-off voice "_get a medical team_!"

* * *

**- Kiba - **

Voices.

"Fuck, would it kill you to come back injured once in a while!"

Lots of voices.

"Well, I don't know, yeah. _Maybe!_"

They don't sound familiar...

"Shut up and hand me what you owe me, idiot. A bet's a bet."

Where am I?

"Itachi-san! Did I do a good job?!"

Itachi...?

"...fine."

Deidara.

"He's waking up, Itachi-san."

Akatsuki.

My heavy eyes fluttered open slowly. Damn, my head hurts. It feels like a parade of elephants trampled on me at some point and I missed it completely. I'm staring blankly at the ceiling – if it can be called that. It looks as if I'm in a cave – a well carved one, but a cave nonetheless. I sat up with my face in my hands, trying to ward off the unwanted tiredness. I needed to think. I can never focus when I'm tired.

I know I'm in trouble but, I can't seem to get hold of any urgency – damn that jutsu! I know I'm with Akatsuki; I know this is bad. Especially with...slowly, my arm finds itself moving to encircle my stomach, as if to protect it.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty" I hear in a sing-song tone. My head snaps up, my face is just inches away from that of his own...Deidara's face. I let out a yelp of surprise, launching myself backwards – once I land I notice, I'd been sat on some sort of table. I stumble backwards in an attempt to get as far away as possible from Deidara, only to bump straight into someone else.

* * *

The air was thick with tension, barely breathable. Most, of not all of the occupants of the room were aware of the silent war ragging between the two shinobi. Glaring coldly at one another they had to restrain themselves from attacking each other – blaming their opponent for the previous events of the day, and a certain Inuzuka couldn't take it anymore, the recovery was slow at best and all he really wanted to do was beat the shit out of that Aburame boy.

Said boy mentally frowned at the increasingly familiar surroundings that were Konoha hospital. Yes, after being discovered by the outskirts of the village – the site of the picnic, they had all been admitted to hospital. What the Akatsuki member had said...it worried him to say the least. He had stated, quite clearly, that that particular technique was very familiar to Kiba. The look of pure mortification on his team mates face was proof enough. Kiba had been too scared to move.

A low growl brought Shino from his musing, as he, along with most of the people present in the temporary ward, finally had enough strength to sit up in their beds. It was Kenshi, he had been growing quite frustrated and had voiced so multiple times "I can't believe this..." he muttered bitterly, the comment aimed towards Shino himself "what the _fuck_, Shino!?" he cried out venomously "Shit, if Kiba gets hurt it's _your _head on a platter!" Shino merely sat in silence, allowing the abuse to be hurled at him "You let them get away!".

At that tiny comment, Shino's brow twitched in agitation; wishing, much like Kenshi, that he could beat the Inuzuka into next month – no, year. He took a moment to soothe his nerves "I am unsure as to how this is solely my fault" He stated, in an eerie calm.

Beside them both came and agitated sigh "Will you two stop your bickering!" The voice, unsurprisingly, belonged to an extremely pissed Tsume "it's not helping or solving anything!" Across from Shino himself, he noticed an incredibly uncomfortable blond nod.

"She's right," the Yamanaka girl started "what we need is to rest up and get Kiba back..." a slight pause "soon."

Begrudgingly, both boys silently agreed to kill each other later, deciding that Kiba was far more important, silently, Shibi was thankful, this was the perfect opportunity for Shino to recover completely. Who knows how long it would have been before Shino pushed himself too far. He had noticed that recently, when it came to Kiba, Shino had always overdone it.

He sighed silently "Asuma-san and Kurenai-san should be coming back soon – their report should be complete." That being said, many of the occupants in the room nodded in understanding.

* * *

**- Kiba - **

Hands on my shoulders told me that I probably wouldn't be getting out of here all that easily. I went rigid. I don't like this. I got a good look at everyone present – ranging from blue to black and white. I really didn't like it. I glance upward, violet eyes peer into my own – silver hair shines in the dim light. They're all staring at me, examining me, watching me "shit, kid, watch where you're walkin'."

Overcome with panic I rush forwards, and crawl under the table, I'm not sure how this'll help – it won't but I can't exactly fight _Akatsuki_. My breath is coming in quick pants, I can't take much more of this, I need to get out; go home. I've never wanted to be home so badly before in my life.

"Oh no," came a sarcastic droning – it was Deidara again "he is escaping to the land of the dust-bunnies" there was a slight sigh "if we do not catch him now, he will be lost forever." There were a few chuckles but nothing more. After a moment, Deidara's tone held it's usual cockiness "Seriously, yeah. Get him out from under the table."

"How do you propose we do that?" came the monotonous voice of Uchiha Itachi, I think I was staring at his feet, most of their faces were out of view from under here.

Someone was jumping excitedly next to him "We move the table of course!" came an almost child-like voice – Tobi, I think it belonged to. Someone else stomped over to him and a loud thump was heard "Itai! Deidara-senpai!".

"Idiot!" the blonde shouted angrily, man, I feel sorry his his partner "The table's bolted to the floor!"

"Oh, yeah."

"The fuck? Why'd we do that again?" I heard foot steps and glance behind me, the silver haired guy was examining the legs of the chair. Why is it that they don't know their own base?

A feminine voice sounded "to stop hot-headed moron's like you from throwing the table at someone during a temper-tantrum" my senses picked up, she hadn't been in the room before, I swear – did they even have doors? I'm going to kick myself if they do! How many times do I have to screw up. I didn't even hear it open...

I yelped loudly when a bang erupted above me, from the looks of things, a fist connected with the table "the hell did you just call me!?" I shivered involuntarily.

"You just proved my point" I peered out from under the table slightly – she had deep blue hair, and a pierced lip "why is he under the table?" she asked, without even so much as glancing in my direction.

"Think he's frightened of Deidara" a gruff voice stated – it came from the blue guy.

"Will Leader-sama be arriving soon?" Itachi spoke again. Leader? I don't want to meet him – who knows what he'd do to me...

"No." Stated the woman, boredom quickly taking her "I'm here to inspect the captive for him" inspect me? What am I? A statue? "Any luck retrieving him?"

There was a scoff "does it look like it, Konan?"

With that she began to approach the table, kneeling down, I watched as she glanced over her shoulder at someone "money-grabbing fool" she stated before turning to look at me, a ghost of a smile on her lips "he's so young, Deidara." she thought aloud "are you sure you made the right choice?" she questioned, her eyes fixed on mine.

"Yeah, he's friends with the Jinchuuriki" she nodded silently, her hand gripped the table so that she could keep balanced as she watched me, I didn't dare move – where could I go?

"Please come out from under there" I shook my head and she frowned slightly "I would co-operate, and I also wouldn't take this kindness for granted. Who knows what cruelties you would be subjected to." I couldn't help but gulp as her little smile returned. She help her hand out to me, waiting for me to take it.

I lifted my hand, and reached out for her own. Pausing, I pulled back reluctantly, a small thought popping into my head "please..." I said quietly, a inwardly cursed at my inability to hold the fear in my tone back "k-keep Deidara away from me..." there came another scoff and her eyes flickered to the side – glaring, I can only guess, at Deidara.

"Fine." She stated once she turned back to me. I had a feeling I'd regret this – I took her hand, and slowly, very slowly, she coaxed me out. Standing up, facing her, she patted me on the head, watching as my hair sprung up and down with each motion of her hand. "There," she said "that wasn't so hard, was it?" it made me frown slightly – I was fifteen and being treated like a five year-old.

Then again, I'd rather be treated like a five year-old then a captive.

"Hidan" she called, and with an annoyed grunt the silver haired male wondered forwards "take this young boy to his quarters..." quarters? As in, a bedroom? Like – the opposite to a prison cell? She's sugar-coating it, surely? She has to be. I'm here to be interrogated, why would they put me in a cushy room?!

I was pulled from my thoughts as I was taken by the upper arm and dragged through the open door – damn it! They did have doors! "Aw, hey wait, why can't I go near the kid! What if I get bored, yeah!"

"Well then, you'll have to find over means of entertainment" Konan's calm voice stated, and I muttered to myself '...you ruined my life...', I didn't even realise that Hidan had heard me, nor did I notice he was curious.

One thing I did, however, was that this was not going to be an easy ride.

**(A/N: So? What did you think? I'm quite proud of it myself. Once again, I'm really, really sorry for the delay – you'll be pleased to know, I'm up to chapter twelve in the **editing**, so, yeah. I have no idea how long it'll take to be honest. Especially with my workload.)**


	25. Delicate Situations

Authors note: Good news everyone! I've **finished** the **editing**. The only thing that has really **changed **is the **ending to chapter eighteen. **It's not much different but I think it makes more sense now. So anyone who hasn't just started reading this story should go back and check it out, just in case you were confused about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter twenty-five: Delicate situations.

Screams erupted from within that small room, painful and terrified. The dank empty halls filled with shrill pleas for forgiveness and desperate cries for help. No-one could hear them, at least, no-one who could say they cared. The only company those shrieks kept was a steady dripping of water as it dripped from the roof of the cave due to the moist air.

Drip. Drip.

One particular room within said hallway was always kept locked, for this room...housed a boy. Said boy was the one producing these wails and was currently laying, curled into himself on a large, plush bed, clutching at his hair desperately with one hand and the other cradling his stomach. His eyes were screwed shut tightly, unwilling and unable to open.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

He now understood why his cell had been referred to as 'his quarters'. His captors wasted little time during interrogation, and as a result, needed him to be comfortable in order to recover quickly, despite the fact that recovery was _anything_ but quick. He was unsure as to how much time had passed. He could have been there for months for all he knew.

Drip. Drip.

Apparently, he was stubborn. They always said he would be able to make life easier for himself if he just _talked_. Of course, talking– to him at least, meant sprouting nonsense, which was a tactic he used to avoid the matter at hand. The screams died down, leaving shivers in their wake, cold sweat glittering his forehead.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Whimpers and breathless panting were all that remained. Hot tears slipped across his face, over the bridge of his nose and onto the pillow below as he lay, desperately in need of consolation. He silently attempted to reassure himself. It was alright. It wasn't real. What the Uchiha did was just a bunch of mind games. Nothing really happened.

Drip.

Knowing that the aim was to break him. He had been strong. He had not been co-operating and they wanted the information he was supposed to possess. If he never answered the questions he was faced with then they would retaliate, they wouldn't be so kind anymore. They would use any means necessary...to get what they wanted from him.

* * *

Team Kurenai had been receiving a certain amount of scorn recently. Kiba's condition had been made public just days after his kidnap. Rumours had been floating around...

Kiba abandoned the village.

Kiba was a traitor, a missing-nin.

Kiba was in love with the child's father.

Kiba, Kiba, Kiba! That was all that was being said throughout Konohagakure. People even went as far as calling Kiba a "dirty whore" and that this was "all an elaborate cover-up." and that "the Inuzuka has the Hokage wrapped around his little finger". It had been getting worse over the past week.

Of course, the Hokage was not stupid, she made no mention of _who_, exactly it was that fathered the child. All the public knew was that Kiba was pregnant and he had been stolen from Konoha by the father of the unborn baby.

However, not all the rumours were of malicious intent and were just downright ridiculous, but, Kiba's sudden "departure" had become the biggest thing since the Thirds death. Konoha had it's very own Sex Scandal, and as far as anyone could tell, the gossips were lapping it up.

This, of course, was all well and good for those who didn't know Kiba personally. However, for those who did, Team Kurenai in particular, had begun to find it quite difficult to fend off the abuse. While it was true that Sai's departure caused an uproar, nothing compared to this. After all, there was more then one element involved. There were suspected elements of love, good and evil. Also, the idea of a _boy_ bearing a _child _is simply outrageous. It was not only the sceptics having a field day, but also the feminists, who seemed to be glad that a male was finally able to walk in their shoes and understand them.

The Village of Konoha seemed to be angry with the Ninja community, more specifically, once again; Team Kurenai. They seemed to be the outlet for the Villages frustration. On one occasion, Shino had had to travel by roof after saving Hinata from being pelted with vegetables for "protecting a traitor", as they had so delicately put it.

**- Shino - **

I had been called to the Hokage's office just recently, it was Kenshi who had found me at the time. I had been at our training ground, in an attempt to get away from the unjust abuse being thrown in my direction. It is not that I cannot take it, merely the thought that I should be the one to suffer at the hands of another, through no fault of my own, turned me away from the town centre.

It was hard to get much peace at the moment. And if it is not the citizens who verbally abuse me, then it is Kenshi. He has not ceased in blaming me for Kiba's capture. I have half a mind to go out there and search for him myself, besides, who's to say he will be returning at all.

"So," I began "what is this meeting about?"

Beside me ebony hair sways in the breeze as Kenshi shakes his head "Nope. Can't say. Not allowed" he countered with a smirk.

"So you know." I stated my observation aloud, causing Kenshi to frown and nod, turning to look at the path ahead of him. It is clear to me that this meeting is a sensitive subject to him. I wonder...

We only made it a few steps after the conversation died before we found a barrage of fruits being hurled at us. Both Kenshi and I jumped backwards, avoiding any contact with it. Looking up, I finally see our who it was who were assaulting us. A group of civilians "Not again..." I hear Kenshi mutter in disdain beside me. I can't help but grunt in agreement.

If it were not my job to protect these people, I'm almost certain I would have retaliated by now. Unfortunately, doing such a thing could get my title as a shinobi revoked. I am rather certain that Kenshi is thinking the same thing, by the look of impatience on his face.

I have to keep myself from lunging at one of them as he shouts "They worked with that Traitorous freak!" Kenshi lets out an audible growl as they cry out in agreement and I sigh, releasing my Bug wall technique. It is a defensive move, it could only hurt if they get too close. My bugs surround us and we are finally able to stand up straight. "Come on" I sigh out "Just walk and the wall should follow."

The only acknowledgement I got was a nod as Kenshi muttered under his breath about morons and fools and ripping people's throats out. I wasn't really listening, but what I can say is that I am, for once, I'm in total agreement with him.

The sense of awareness ran through him at the sound of footsteps. His shivers only increased as he heard a key turning in the door. Whimpering he curled into himself more, in an attempt to protect himself from whoever it was in the room.

"It is nice to finally see you awake, Kiba-kun" came a monotonous voice.

* * *

**- Kiba - **

I shuddered at the sound of his voice, I didn't want to do it again "no, no more. Please no more..." I whimpered out, screwing my eyes shut even more tightly then they had been. I could hear him as he walked up to the bed, placing someone upon the table beside it. I didn't need to use my nose to be able to tell it was a hot meal. It's sickening, them thinking I'll be able to swallow anything after what they just put me through.

The bed drips under the extra weight, causing me to roll backwards. I ended up at an awkward position, flush against my visitors leg, getting a face full of cloak. I tense when I feel a hand on my shoulder, I shake, letting out a long whine as I scoot backwards "N-no, please. Not again, no, no!" he sighs slightly, attempting to calm me by brushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

"It is time to eat. There will be no more questioning until tomorrow" at that I glance upwards, staring into pools of black, Stupid Uchiha. Thinks he's so great. He probably doesn't think I notice, but he has a tiny smirk on his face. Ass. That condescending ass. I pull myself into a sitting position, pulling my knees up to my chest and burying my face in my arms.

"I'm not hungry..." I say, near a whisper. Actually, saying that is a lie. I'm fucking starving. I just can't eat right now. The thought of food makes me sick to my stomach. Actually...come to think of it...I _am_ sick to my stomach. What the fuck is that awful smell!? I lift my head and look at the plate of food and wretch, bringing my hand up to my mouth quickly.

Itachi's eyes wonder from me to the food, repeatedly "Kiba-kun. Do you have a problem with your meal?" He asked, I can hear a slight edge of irritation in his tone. Glancing at the food again I shake my head only slightly.

"N-not-" I wretch again "Not so much...the food" I think I can hazard a guess he was the one who cooked the freakin' meal "Where's the u-um..." I look at him, clamping my hand over my mouth for a moment, preventing myself from throwing up then and there "Bathroom!" I cry almost desperately. Hastily, Itachi points to the wall opposite the bed, and I don't even have time to sigh in relief when I see the door, as I was up and running as soon as I set my eyes on it.

The next thing he heard was me, with my head over the toilet bowl, dispelling the contents of my stomach. I hear footsteps as I flush the toilet, panting heavily. "Are you well?" he asks plainly from behind me. I frown, looking puzzled as I turn to him.

"Define 'well'" I state while clinging to the toilet bowl like my life depended on it.

He glances behind him for a moment with a silent sigh "And food brought this on...?" he questioned, slightly intrigued. I can only nod, I began to shiver again. I don't like this, what if he thinks "Is there something wrong with my cooking?" He asks, and I tense up. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap. Has anyone ever lived through offending an S-ranked criminal before?! I inwardly panic, I'm too young to die! Despite the fact I want to die, I don't want to do so in a fucking Bathroom!

"N-no!" I cry out, laughing nervously "i-it's not...it's not the food, l-like I said It's...it's something...completely different" I can't help but wince at the desperation in my tone. I can't believe this...He raises an eyebrow at me and I gulp, realizing my mistake.

He watches me for a moment, a strange sort of curiosity in his eyes "What would that be?" He asks, moving forwards to kneel in front of me. I freeze in place when the back of his hand finds itself on my forehead. "You are not running a fever, nor a temperature. What is this 'something completely different'?" I gulp, and shy away from his hand, shaking my head.

"Nothing..." I say weakly. I know he wouldn't believe me no matter what I said so...what's the point in trying "I just...can't take the smell of beef right now...Like I said; it's not your food, it's me...in a way-" I paused mid-sentence, realizing I had once again, run my mouth.

"It's you, is it?" he asked. Okay...now he's a little too curious for my liking. I shake my head, scooting side-ways in an attempt to get as far away as I could from him. I gasp when my arm connects to the cold glass of the shower cubicle. His eyes narrow only slightly "I won't have to force it out of you, will I?" It difficult to tell if he means it or not, due to the lack of emotion in his voice.

It takes me a moment to calm my hastening breath "Look," I begin, looking everywhere but him "I can't- won't say, Alright. Ple-please don't make me...I-I couldn't t-take it if-" he raises a brow at me, in a silent question as to whether or not I'll be continuing that sentence, to which I shake my head. A light frown dons his features and he turns soundlessly, ready to leave. You know, he reminds me of...

"Wa-wait!" I suddenly cry out, I can't help but notice I'm stuttering again. He pauses on his route to the door, waiting for me to continue "When do I get to go back?" I ask, greatly anticipating his answer.

He merely continued to walk and opens the door "as soon as we get what he want." Was all he said as he left the room, hastily locking it behind him. The back of my head connects with the stone wall behind me, making me wince. I hadn't intended it to hurt that much... This was horrible. I have no idea how long I'll last like this...and all I can think about; Shino...

* * *

Sat in a tense silence, the four teams: Asuma, Kakashi, Gai and Kurenai waited with the Hokage, unsure what it was she was waiting for. That answer however, was found quickly because it burst through the doors of the Hokage's office, panting heavily. Leaning all her weight onto the now closest door, she sighed tiredly "my apologies Hokage-sama" she stated, moving forwards.

Ino and Chouji exchanged curious glances. Whilst Neji, Shikamaru and Shino raised a curious eyebrows, others simply looked confused "Ah, Tsume" the Blond woman stated, standing from her chair "I'm glad you weren't too late".

Shaking her head, the elder Inuzuka frowned "No, I'm afraid that's not the case" she stated, moving to face the others of the group "I think I might already be a little too late"

At that the Hokage frowned "Then why did you call us here?!" she shouted, her brow twitching in annoyance.

Standing from his seat, the ebony locks of Uchiha Sasuke swayed "You mean you didn't call us here?" he questioned, his eyes narrowed slightly at the blond female, he couldn't help but notice Hinata's perturbed expression.

"Of course not – she did," the Hokage countered, fixing the boy with a look that said 'sit down or die', after which she returned her harsh gaze to the Inuzuka woman "So, explain yourself."

Nodding dutifully, Tsume moved to the front of the room and stood beside the Hokage's desk "It's about Kiba...and it's extremely urgent you all know this...although, I can't say he'll be particularly thrilled..." Sakura, Naruto and Lee frowned quizzically, Tenten seemed to look increasingly confused.

"What is it?" Shino questioned hastily, not wanting to delay this 'urgent message' any longer.

"Well, I failed to mention," a fair few in the room tensed, preparing themselves for the worst "when an Inuzuka doesn't have a mate – which is a rare occurrence in itself, by the way...they- we, tend to latch onto the strongest person we know..."

"How is that a bad thing...?" the head of Team 8 asked, her tone indicating that she felt totally lost. Tsume sighed slightly and held up her hand.

"Let me finish, please" she paused for a moment, shifting her weight onto her other foot "well, it's not a bad thing...but, when...when an Inuzuka is pregnant...We need protection, or at least feel like we do. So, while Kiba was here...I think he had a tendency to...rotate...from...Shino to Kenshi" at that the boys glanced at one another, Kenshi fixing the other with a heated glare.

"Again, how is that bad?" Kakashi cut in, his eye peering over the top of his ever-present book.

Frowning in slight irritation, Tsume continued "as I was saying; it's not bad, but it's not exactly good either...an Inuzuka bearing child without a mate is a fickle creature...and well, Kiba's...in danger of becoming attached to Deidara..."

"Attached...?" Shino questioned, slight alarm was evident in his tone.

Tsume only nodded "Yeah, instinct tends to call for us to be with our mate..."

Frowning slightly, drawing attention to himself as he 'Hmm-ed' loudly, Azure eyes fixed onto Tsume Sharp ones "But, you just said that Kiba doesn't have a mate...why would he 'get attached'?" it was only then that Shino had realized Kenshi had said nothing on the subject so far.

"_Nope. Can't say. Not allowed"_

Shino frowned as the words rang through his head. He already knew...Why was it he wasn't having his usual hissy-fit?

"It's like I said; at the moment Kiba is particularly sensitive. He'll cling to anything and everything he can to protect himself. So, as long as he continues to view Deidara as a threat he should be fine...if not. I..." She paused, swallowing slightly, not liking the idea of her son and rapist uniting at all. "I don't know what could happen."

There was a tired sigh from behind them. They turned only to find Shikamaru pushing himself off the far wall "Is that all you wanted to tell us?" He asked, boredom trimming his tone.

"No," she said, looking down sadly "It's just a warning; be prepared never to see Kiba again if he does become attached." There was another pause as Tsume rubbed at her eyes an annoyed grimace on her features "he may never return to Konoha if that's the case..."

**(A/N: :O I can't believe it! I updated! I'm pretty sure that only took me THREE weeks. I'm very sorry for those of you who had to wait. Forgive me? Are there any of you with Forgiveness Cookies? Can I have one? Please?! Gawd, you have no idea how hard this chapter was :( I almost stopped writing for the day! -cries- )**


	26. Unexpected sensations

Authors note: Okay! So, I had, like, the best start to my week this week. Do you know why? Because **Under Finger and Thumb** drew a **Fanart** of what Kiba and Deidara's **baby**(who has been given the temporary name of 'Kiara')! So, if anyone is interested and wants to take a peek, you can find a **link** on the **Chapter 25 review page**. I want to point out that, in my opinion, it's an amazing drawing.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even that awesome picture of Kiara. Damn.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter twenty-six: Unexpected sensations.

Frowning, he stared pensively into the far wall of the finely carved cave. It was certainly unusual to have captured an enemy shinobi in the first place, let alone one acting so strangely. While it was true that Itachi was not good with people, and he acknowledged that, he knew when normal behaviour for a person was, in fact, normal.

'_Something completely different...?_' he thought. What was it? Why, if he could spare that little bit of information, could he not spill the rest? He glanced quickly at Hidan, who sat on the floor quite contently sharpening his scythe, his brows knitted in concentration. Those words echoed in his mind, reverberating off the walls of his skull...why did they effect him so? The mystery? The sadistic pleasure? The look in his eyes? Most likely. Itachi's gaze fell slowly, watching the movements of Hidan's hand as it moved across the blades of his weapon smoothly, tools following every movement.

His eyes, raw terror. '_I couldn't take it if...if, what?_' Itachi clenched his jaw, his brow furrowing slightly '_It has something to do with Deidara..._' he was shocked to find that Hidan's movements had stopped, glancing up, ebony eyes met violet, Itachi stiffened only slightly.

"What did you just say, Itachi-san?" he asked, causing Itachi's posture to straighten considerably, he hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud. Something he wasn't sure he'd be able to forgive himself for. Quickly deciding the best course of action, Itachi stood, running his hands over his cloak, as if to banish unwanted creases.

"Kiba," he began, entwining his fingers in his free locks "he's acting strange; it has something to do with Deidara. I'm certain."

Beside him, the immortal smirked "hell, Itachi-san. I had no idea you were into prying."

Shaking his head, Itachi sighed, choosing that now would be the appropriate time to leave, before he managed to provoke the silver-haired man into a temper tantrum, his mood swings were quite unpredictable at times. With that thought in mind, he moved to the door, an air of grace about him "'Something completely different'...that is what he said to me." With those parting words, he disappeared from the Jashin worshippers sight, leaving those words to fester in his mind.

A scowl planted itself upon Hidan's features, and his left eye twitched in annoyance. With an irate grunt, Hidan returned to he previous engagement – sharpening his weapon, briskly. It had only taken a matter of seconds before his movements slowed, and once again, coming to a halt. He frowned, dropping his tools and leaning back onto his hands, staring up at the roof of the cave '_what the fuck is up with that kid...?_'.

* * *

**- Shino - **

Knocking sharply upon the door of the increasingly familiar house, I set my mouth in a light frown. I had a lot of unanswered questions I needed to know the answer to. It had started raining a few moments prior and I found myself soaking in a matter of moments. One thing I am glad of however is that I am finally off of my crutches. I had missed being able to move freely.

The door swung open cleanly, almost shocking me "Good afternoon, Tsume-san" I greeted, watching as her face fell into a quizzical frown. She moves aside, allowing me access into her home, once she realizes that I am, in fact, very wet.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, while disappearing into the kitchen for a moment and returning with a tea towel in hand.

Accepting the offered towel, I sigh silently as I dab the water off my face slowly, I have to suppress a shiver, once again feeling a strange dislike fore the rain "It's about Kiba" I state bluntly, causing Tsume's eyes to widen slightly for a fraction of a second.

She nods, leading me into the kitchen and offering me a seat, I take it, watching as she wonders over to the counter top, preparing a few cups of tea "get on with it." she says, her back still turned to me, I know she's very upset about Kiba's current situation, I have to tread lightly, to avoid upsetting her too much. I know that most, if not all of my questions will cross those boundaries – but I have to know.

"...Why do you allow Kenshi to treat Kiba the way he does?" I asked, watching the hesitation in her movements "Have you not noticed the ill intent behind them?" I do not receive an answer for a long while, I sit and wait patiently while Tsume finishes making the tea, bringing two streaming mugs over to the table and placing one, almost forcefully, in front of me.

"That," she begins "isn't something you would understand. Not truly." she takes a seat opposite me, fixing her eyes upon mine, only slightly visible behind my glasses.

I raise an eyebrow at her, tilting my head almost curiously at her "enlighten me." I state plainly, indicating that I am not leaving until the questions are answered and I have all the information I will need. Call it recon'.

Sighing irately, Tsume-san takes a sip of her tea, I do the same "It's difficult to explain..." Tsume began, looking slightly uncomfortable. I can tell that she usually wouldn't have much of a problem with this type of thing, just the fact this involved her son, probably made things harder.

I simply sit there, watching her patiently. I was not leaving any time soon, and I am certain she knows that. A few more minutes of silence passed between us, our gazes firmly fixed on one another's'. Despite my copious amounts of patience, I really wish she'd get to the point. I wish I had a day, but I don't. I have quite a bit planned.

"Well," she began, correcting her posture and placing her mug down on the table, gripping it slightly with both hands "it's all about mating, really. I had to allow Kiba to have his own space to make his own choices..." she frowned, entwining her fingers around the mug tightly "even if I knew it meant exposing Kiba to such ill intent. Usually this type of method is reserved for females, but..."

My brows creased "so, you've known all along about Kenshi's violent behaviour, and yet, did nothing" it most likely wasn't my place to say, since I know very little about Inuzuka customs and have never really asked. It is one of the more...difficult to grasp. They have strange ways of working and I, for one, do not have time to research the Clans history.

Across from me Tsume scowled lightly "I know what you're thinking: I'm an unfit mother. Believe you me, I've done my best." That wasn't what I was thinking at all, but fine. I'll play along. "You see, it's all about finding a suitable match. If Kiba decides he wants Kenshi, then he wants Kenshi. If he wants you, then that's how it's going to be." I was a little taken aback by her remark, but she continued, her face – serious "Forbidding him from either of you could make him more adamant to be with you. So, I allow him freedom in hope he'll see."

I nod slowly, seeing the logic in her thought process. She had planned this very well indeed "So, you are aware Kenshi has been...acting very unpredictably, lately. Inconsistent with himself?" I'm not even sure if what I said made sense, but it was true. Ever since he found out about Kiba's pregnancy, he had become a lot more..._possessive_.

"He has always been a little bit strange. He'd taken an interest in Kiba at a young age, I never expecting anything to turn out the way it has. Kiba was never supposed to know and Kenshi...I don't know. It's difficult trying to explain how your life has been turned upside down." I raised a brow, my silent question soon answered "It's difficult living without all of your son's trust."

"Excuse me," I stood, bowing my head slightly "I have a meeting with the Hokage, thank you" with that I showed myself to the door, walking once again out into the rain.

* * *

**- Deidara - **

Wondering the halls aimlessly, I sighed. I hated being at base. There's jack shit to do, yeah. It's not like I even want to be here, but what with the lack of Jinchuuriki wondering around nowadays, most of Akatsuki was left inactive.

Not to mention all the free Bijuu have already been captured. In all honesty, it pissed me off. Couldn't Leader just give us missions to humour us!? I mean, it's not like it matters if we're not all in the same place, Leader hardly even needs any of us to do anything anymore, and when h does it's usually something stupid. I come to a halt, in an all too familiar hallway. This was where Kiba-kun resided. I smirk, I think I'll go play a game.

I located his room quickly; opening the door almost silently. Peeking my head through the door, my smirk widens, he's asleep, and from what I hear, he's been doing that a lot lately. Actually, come to think of it, we haven't been doing much interrogation lately. I'm not sure why. I'll have to, much to my displeasure, ask Uchiha about it later.

Stepping into the room, I close the door silently behind me, almost tip-toeing forward, towards his bed. Once I get there, I kneel down, watching him. He looks pretty peaceful. For now. I stay there for god knows how long, listening to his slow, rhythmic breathing, as the blankets rose and fell with every breath. Reaching out, my fingers trace his jaw line lightly, but he still attempts to pull away from my touch, yeah. He tried to bury himself in his pillow to get away from me. The tongue of my hand-mouth peeks out, attempting to lick the boy.

It worked, and almost as soon as the contact was made, the Inuzuka's eyes flutter open.

**- Normal -**

Stiffening at the touch, Kiba found himself alert instantly, overcome with the scent of peaches and clay. A shiver ran down his spine at the feel of a hand running through his hair. His breathing hastened dramatically as he lay there, petrified. Glancing upwards, he felt almost light-headed when aqua eyes and very-nearly golden locks greeting him, as well as a victorious smirk. What had he won? He sniffed the air, and shot upright after realizing that he was, in fact, alone with Deidara.

The blond's smirk only grew when Kiba whimpered, realizing he had no where to go. Terror shone brightly in his sharp eyes. Moving to sit upon the edge of the bed, the deranged artist sighed, only slightly put off by the fact that Kiba hadn't gotten over it yet. He wasn't at all surprised when Kiba ran for the door in a last-ditch attempt to get away from him, it was currently unlocked, after all.

Acting quickly, Deidara managed to stop Kiba as soon as his foot touched the ground at the foot of the bed. The Inuzuka found himself pinned to the wall, Deidara's arm at his neck, very nearly cutting off his air supply "aww," the blond smirked "now this isn't a very good reunion, yeah" he leaned in, their faces dangerously close.

Kiba turned his face away, almost ashamed of their closeness, wincing slightly when he felt Deidara's nose brush lightly against his cheek. His breath came in short, sharp gasps, as if trying to collect enough air to keep himself from passing out "y-you..." he tried to speak, his voice little more then a whisper.

"You missed me, yeah?" the Akatsuki member questioned, his hand slipping through Kiba's chestnut brown locks once again, this time, the hand tightened it's grip, causing the younger boy to yelp in pain as his head was pulled back and turned around so he faced the artist.

Whining his discomfort, Kiba desperately tried to think of a way to escape, and finding it increasingly hard to focus as the blond leaned in closer, and closer to his slightly agape mouth.

Shutting his eyes tightly, Kiba attempted to block out both the actions of his rapist and the warm breath on his lips. His lips tingled when his felt Deidara's lips brushing lightly against his own. Despite all his fear, and all his objections to the blonde himself, Kiba had to admit that it wasn't an overall unpleasant feeling.

A loud bang was heard and his eyes snapped open. The blond growled, pulling away from the Inuzuka, and all too suddenly, both the warmth of Deidara's breath and that wondrous sensation was gone "Fuck, Deidara! Didn't Konan tell you to keep the hell away from him!" sure enough, when the blond turned around, he was greeted by the Jashin worshipper himself, Hidan.

"Didn't Konan tell you to leave your gutter-mouth in the gutter" Deidara countered haughtily, crossing his arms over his chest, indicating that he wasn't budging and wanted the silver-haired man to leave, immediately.

The moody immortal growled in annoyance, causing Kiba to wince, and attempt to disappear into the wall, his face flushed with embarrassment and shame. Embarrassment, because they'd been caught almost kissing the man he was most afraid of, and shame because he was enjoying it. "Damn, if you weren't in this organisation, I would've fuckin' sacrificed you to Jashin-sama already!"

"Whatever," the blond ground out, brushing passed Hidan out of the room, now officially in no mood to do anything else for the rest of the day. Watching him go, Kiba slide to the floor with a great sigh of relief and a choked sob. Hidan could only observe the boy, as he wrapped his arms around his legs and leant his head back against the wall, attempting to calm his nerves.

Grunting slightly, Hidan moved forwards and knelt in front of the shaken boy, who's head shot up in alarm when Hidan placed a hand on his shoulder. The immortal couldn't say he was surprised when he saw the boys eyes were watery "You alright, kid?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

The brunette nodded frantically, holding back choked sobs "Th-thank you!" he whimpered out, shocking the violet eyed male when Kiba flung himself at him, wrapping his arms around him and crying into Hidan's strong chest. Gulping slightly, feeling quite uncomfortable, the silver-haired immortal, patted Kiba's head awkwardly, in an almost-desperate attempt to get the boy off of him. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty for not keeping a closer eye on Deidara, especially if this is what he did to the Inuzuka.

* * *

"I will not repeat myself," came the monotonous voice of the younger Aburame. It was still raining, and he really didn't want to have caused such a commotion "you will _not_ accompany, is that clear?"

He, along with a group of unwanted company were currently situated at the gates of Konoha, it was late and Shino was becoming irate "Fuck you, Aburame. Going out there alone is suicide!" came the all too vicious growl of the ebony haired Inuzuka, who, despite his dislike for the rain, endured.

"Thank you, Kenshi. You're concern has been noted" Shino countered, adjusting his glasses "But I have to wonder – is it concern for me, or concern that I shall reach Kiba first?" He could not suppress a slight smirk at the positively murderous expression on Kenshi's face. Lately, he had been all too easy to wind up, beside him, a hand came down upon his shoulder and Kenshi glanced to the side, whilst Tsume stepped forward.

"Kenshi has a point," she offered, squeezing said teen's shoulder slightly "if you do run into Akatsuki, you'll be killed. You _do_ need back-up." at that Kenshi crossed his arms across his chest, huffing loudly.

"No, the success of this mission depends of stealth," the Aburame boy stated defiantly "I cannot do that if I am constantly worrying about my Team. Besides," a slight pause "Father and I have already arranged a means of communication." He gestured to his father, to stood off to the side nodding slightly,"I will sent reports everyday, if you do not receive one, you know I did not succeed."

"B-but, Shino-kun!" Came a timid cry, almost unheard over the rainfall "w-would it n-not be sen-sensible t-to take a medic-n-nin?"

"No." was the blunt reply, causing Hinata to look at the ground guiltily, wishing she could have made a more helpful suggestion, instead, all she seemed to do was annoy her Team mate. The crowd fell silent, now realizing it was hopeless to protest. So, with that, Shino turned, heading out of the gates.

He stopped only when he heard a growl, and was thrust violently against a nearby wall, shocked gasps could be heard "I won't let you leave without me," the voice of Kenshi hissed in his ear, angrily.

Shino gritted his teeth, he should have known he wouldn't have given up that easily. The Aburame resolved to push Kenshi off of him, with his back. It worked. Pivoting on his feet, Shino grasped the collar of Kenshi's shirt, and thrust him down to the ground. The Ebony-haired male grunted in pain when Shino fell on top of him, his knee embedded deeply in Kenshi's gut.

"This, Kenshi" Shino began, eyes narrowed "is how it's going to work: You will stay here. If Kiba is to return, who gets to be there to greet him?" with that said, Kenshi pushed the Bug-user off of him, and growled.

"Fine." he muttered, both boys stood, pointedly ignoring one another "wouldn't want to spend kami-knows how long with you anyway."

"I could say the same. No, I do." Shino countered pointedly, giving one last glance to his father and the young Hyuuga-heiress before leaving through the gates at long last.

**(A/N: Do you have any idea how hard it is trying to write with Writer's Block!? I do! It's an effort to write this A/N without my song playing, which, not-so-coincidentally, was the song that helped me finish this chapter. Also, he's a late warning.**

**Warning: contains strong language due to immortals and moody teenagers.**

**I hope you enjoyed this. I know, how 'bout you all tell me what your favourite scene was?! -grins-**

**And...and -sniffle- Thank you to everyone armed with forgiveness cookies, even if you didn't give me any, thank you for reviewing!)**


	27. Uncertainty

Authors note: HolycrapI'veupdated! You have no idea how sorry I am, really. I haven't updated in like, what? A month, more? I just hope I haven't lost any of you during that time, that'd make me sad :(

Disclaimer: How many times do we have to go through this?

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter twenty-seven: Uncertainty.

Drawing a kunai from his pouch, he jumped backward narrowly avoiding the onslaught of rocks and stones as they flew at him mercilessly. He panted tiredly, sweat trickling from his pale forehead. He had been fighting these enemies for...he didn't know how long, all that he knew was the the longer this took, the longer it would take to return Kiba home. Hidden safely (temporarily, that is) behind a tree, he peered behind him, his dark glasses catching the light slightly.

The two Ninja who had been pursuing him came from Iwagakure, he had noted as he fought them, their headbands - the tell-tale sign, had said. Admittedly, yes, he was in their territory, but then again, if he did not search everywhere, then he would never find his friend.

Of course, they did not know of the situation, and, undoubtedly, would not care. It had been three months since he had begun his search for his stolen team mate. If there was one thing he learnt on the journey, it was that Akatsuki could hide, and they could hide well. Flinging his weapon at his Enemies, he jumped from the tree, landing on the floor gracefully.

He was tired of playing their game. "Oh-ho! There's our Konoha Lackey!" one of them called, red hair mused and unkept beneath the bandages wrapped around her head and left eye. Her green eyes complimenting her tanned skin nicely. Arming herself, she silently pulled the earth form the ground, the only noise in the clearing was that of roots snapping and ripping.

Her companion was tall, and strong built, his long black hair was held back by his headband, his ebony eyes shining evilly, pulling a scroll from his weapon's pouch "Patience, Tamina" he said a smirk playing on his features.

She sighed at her friend "you're no fun, Momo-san" she said, eyeing the Konoha male with a cold glare.

"I am done with you." he said, "You will remember the name Aburame Shino." He stated monotonously, finally summoning hordes of kikaichuu, allowing them to swam around him. Shino was silently pleased when he saw the fear in their eyes for just a fraction of a second. Good. They were not fools. Finally, commanding his destruction bugs to disperse, he went with them, once again finding himself a hiding place in the trees along the edge of the clearing.

The red haired girl, 'Tamina' growled loudly in annoyance at allowing her target to escape, her bulky friend frowned, "It's alright Tamina," he said calmly, watching the tree line with a smirk "it is just a simple process of elimination."

Tamina grinned manically raising her arms, lifting the earth in front of her. Tossing it ruthlessly into the tree tops, laughing "I like the way you think, Momo-san!". Momo sighed, shaking his head as he opened the scroll in his hand quietly and biting into his thumb.

"As long as you're happy, Tami-chan" he stated, tossing the scroll to the floor. From the trees, Shino panted, having to avoid flying rocks. He frowned, gasping quietly in shock when the earth underneath the tree rumbled, dislodging the tree from it's previously firm roots. He scurried into the tree directly beside it. He watched from behind the aforementioned tree as 'Momo' ran a bloody thumb across the parchment he had laid on the floor declaring "Kuchiyuse no Jutsu!", with those words he was quickly surrounded by a puff of smoke.

The Aburame sighed, hoping to stall for just enough time...

* * *

**- Kiba -**

They had started letting me go out on walks, not on my own obviously, but I think they think I was getting fat. And...looking at myself now, I'm not surprised. I ran my hand down my stomach slowly, which now held the tell-tale sign of growing life...a very clear, fairly large bulge. I can't help but frown slightly. Even _I _know I shouldn't be this big so soon.

I bite my lip. I need a new shirt, badly.

Although, these walks weren't exactly a bad thing, I mean, at least I wasn't dying of boredom. Sometimes they even let me out of my room, if they feel like it. I don't think many of them have the patience to deal with me. Even I know I can get insufferable at times...I think I started having mood swings two weeks ago.

Actually, I'm afraid to yell at anyone. Anyone would be if you were alone with a group of S-Ranked criminals. Lately Itachi's been asking after my health, I don't know why though, maybe he just doesn't want a sickly captive? Well, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, prisoner or not, if you start throwing up over smells, people are bound to be a little concerned. I frown a little, is it bad when you're captor starts asking you what you want to eat?

That Hidan guy though. I think I see him the most. I can't help but think about how much he swears. I mean, the baby might learn something before it's even born. Then again, it would have to be a genius, which I don't think it is. I lean back against the headboard of my bed, uncertainty on my features.

How much longer can I keep this up? They'll find out eventually. Had they been anyone else, I'd have told them. But, for the moment I'm just lucky they haven't tried to interrogate me for a while. I honestly don't think I could take much more of it...I don't know how to explain it, other then I _feel_ it. It's like my stomach is squirming, but, having said that, maybe it's not me who can't take any more.

I place my hand on my stomach, sighing; maybe it's this thing. I start tapping my fingers on my knee, when I draw it up to me, restlessly. My gaze is focused on the small, practically none existent window. I really want to go outside...

* * *

An explosion found him on the floor of the forest, tumbling to a halt. A sickening crack was heard and he muffled a cry of pain. Attempting to stand up, placing his weight on his good arm, his grunted his discomfort, his breath coming out in short, ragged breathes.

After a long, drawn-out minute or so, he stumbles to his feet, having a few seconds to himself to hold his injured, more likely then not, broken wrist to himself, eyeing the creature in front of him with disdain. The Aburame couldn't help but notice that the pyromaniac of a _mole_ had singed his jacket. He wasn't too bothered about that though, as he had a spare at home.

The creature screeched at him, his sharp claws running across the ground, allowing sparks to fly, unchecked. The sandy-brown fur of the creature was covered in dirt and mud, marring its (possibly) majestic appearance. Shino glanced at the forest behind it, hearing a cackle in the distance.

"Remember the name Aburame Shino?" Came the all too familiar voice of the red-headed girl as she emerged from behind a tree, standing off to the side of the angry summoning "Why? So we know what to mark your grave with?" She chuckled lightly, once again pulling a rock from the ground haughtily.

A sigh came from up above, glancing upwards, Shino frowned, not having sensed the man who summoned the volatile beast, "You can't really expect to win, can you, Konoha brat?" The taller male asked, Shino merely shook his head.

"I do not expect to win." he stated solomnly, "I gave you my name so you would know who it was who defeated you," a small small smirk appeared over the charred fabric of his collar, a chuckle barely suppressed. "After all, am I certain of victory."

The two enemy ninja stared at one another for a moment, both outraged and bewildered at the sheer audacity of the _boy_ before them. Growling angrily, Tamina thrust the boulder sharply at the bug-user. Quickly releasing a swam of the black insects uninjured arm, Shino jumped quickly off to the side, having successfully slowed the momentum of the rock down enough to have gotten out of the way with minimal damages.

Rolling to a halt, Shino crouched, ready to spring up at any sign of another assualt. He smirked slightly, panting tiredly "Aburame Shino." He stated simply. He had won.

Frowning slightly in confusion, the man, Momo, looked down, about to bark an order to his summoning, gasped his shock "w-what!?" He cried incredulously, standing from his place in the tree tops. The alarm his his voice attracted the attention of Tamina, who glanced between the two quickly, here eye going wide with terror.

Sure enough, the summoning had been covered with the feared black insects, and they were indeed closing in on her friend "Momo! move!" she shouted, blissfully unaware of the kikaichuu surrounding her- well, almost.

"It is no use. You are surrounded. These Kikaichuu will devour your chakra until you are no longer concious. I will not kill you." He was silenced when collective screams of screeches were heard. He frowned slightly. He had better not get a headache. The cries of his enemy were quickly silenced as they fell into the deep pits of darkness.

Closing his eyes, Shino stood for a moment, concentrating chakra throughout his entire being, calling back his hungry companions. They had worked well, and needed to be fed. Once the last of the swarm burrowed into his skin, he sighed, turning to continue his search.

Walking along, with only the sound of his footfall to keep him company, Shino rummaged though the pouch at his side, pulling out a small roll of gauze, he bandaged his neglected wrist, never wasting a second of travel time. This area may have yielded fruitless, but that is not to say the same for the next.

* * *

A knock at the door jerked Kiba from his musings. Glancing out of the window, he cursed silently- had he really been out of it that long? He didn't say anything to acknowledge the knock, as he knew, whether he consented or not, they would enter. And, sure enough; they did.

He stood from his bed quickly upon seeing who had entered. They wouldn't notice the amount he had grown if he stood, it was less obvious. Itachi stood in the doorway, a stoic expression on his face. Kiba frowned slightly, once he realized that the Uchiha had not come armed with food. Was there... "Itachi?" He questioned meekly, unsure what it was he was supposed to ask the elder.

"Kiba," he stated after a moments silence. The Inuzuka had been acting strangely for months. Throwing up every now and again, although that had decreased to almost nothing, now that he was getting the food he could handle. Recently however, the younger boy had become jumpy and reluctant to accept touches from even the Uchiha himself, "would you like to join us for dinner?" He had been moody too, but that was another matter entirely.

Kiba blanched. What was he supposed to say to _that_?! 'No, I don't dine with S-ranked criminals, who could more likely then not murder me with a pretzel if they tried' or 'Yes, I had always wondered what it would be like to spend an evening chatting pleasantly with my evil captors.'

Sensing Kiba's reluctance, the Uchiha was quick to reassure "you can sit between myself and Hidan." Kiba blinked. That was supposed to make him _feel better_? He wasn't sure sitting between a foul-mouthed Immortal with a short temper and a man capable of the destruction of his own clan was settling his nerves at all.

The two of them blinked when they heard a scoff from behind them. Glancing over his shoulder, Kiba noticed Itachi frown slightly, before he schooled his expression once again "come on, Itachi, don't tell the fuckin' kid that." he head a deep chuckle, as they new arrival peered over the Uchiha's shoulder and into Kiba's chambers.

"What do you propose I say to him, then?" Itachi asked, blandly. Kiba frowned, why did that stupid Uchiha have to keep reminding him of home. And the way Shino spoke, and the level of disinterest the bug-user showed when Kiba showered him with pointless conversation.

The silver-haired Immortal smirked "Kiba. Come eat with us and you won't have to sit next to Deidara" Kiba perked up only slightly at the prospect, not at all happy that he would still be in the same room as the bomber. But, nevertheless, he agreed, because he also knew, that they would not leave him alone until he did.

**(A/N: Oh my god, I am SO sorry, I really tried to update as soon as I could but I couldn't because my Writer's block got really bad. And I know what you're all thinking! **

"**same old excuse. " Really, I would say that too, but you see, it's practically the only excuse I have because NOTHING ELSE, minus holidays and sudden, unexpected trips to the hospital, involving me and my death bed would EVER stop me from writing!**

**So, so, like. Please, raid my Cookie Bank for all the cookies you will ever need and want to reward yourself for your patience. It's limitless you know. No end to the cookies at all. I tried to find it once – went straight to my thighs. I'm kidding. These Cookies are great because they don't let you gain weight. **

**And please! Forgive my extreme tardiness!)**


	28. Curiosity and the Like

Authors note: I'm sorry...I was supposed to update more during the holidays prior to chapter twenty-seven. I only managed to get that done. So...yeah. Have this one? Truce? Please _don't_ spear me!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I most certainly would NOT have made Naruto the main character.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter twenty-eight: Curiosity and the like.

The stars littered the sky above – glittering like diamonds. The wind howled, as if calling for something or, perhaps, someone. Sat high in an old oak, a figure shivered as the wind brushed past him, caressing him as if he were a lover, '_No Lover could be so cold_'. It was always an ungodly temperature during the night no matter where one may be.

Pulling his jacket around body tightly, he shifted slightly, in an attempt to get comfortable – his breath visible on this particular night, despite his soft breathing. Catching the light, the lenses of his glasses shone, only for a moment.

He had not made it very far after his battle with Iwa-nin, and yes, while he did have a sleeping bag – he had decided against advertising his location for the time being. The Aburame was tired, to say the least. He had not rested properly since he had left Konoha, only getting a few hours sleep in between popping Soldier Pills like hard candy. He knew it was unwise, but his desire to retrieve Kiba was far too great. Shino frowned slightly, recalling the tale Naruto had told him – Sasuke nearly died, he had been terrified. Would he feel the same if he found Kiba like that?

Shaking his head to dismiss himself of those thoughts, Shino turned his attention to his injured wrist. He was no medic-nin, but even he could tell, the state of the bandages was poor – poorly wrapped and poorly treated. His wrist, in this state, was quite open to the risk of infection. Unfortunately, with one hand, there was little he could do about it. Silently he retrieved an apple from his bag and biting into it, with his good arm, mind you.

It had been an hour since he sent his Kikaichuu to relay a message to his father, reading; I'm fine. Mission so far unsuccessful.

The first part was put in place merely to reassure his father. Shino knew, that eventually the Hokage would issue an order for his return – after one and a half months of fruitless searching she is bound to. The Aburame teen was tempted to disobey the order, when and if it came, but, he knew, he would not.

**- Kiba - **

The walk towards the dining hall was silent for the most part. I say that because there was yelling down the corridor. Hidan's been pushing me little rougher then necessary, probably senses my reluctance. Not that you'd need to be able to. I'm pretty sure it's plastered all over my face. Uchiha is walking ahead, hasn't said a word since Hidan turned up.

We come to a stop in front of the door, which, I can only guess, leads to the dining room. Itachi had his hand on the door, listening, Hidan glared, muttering to himself "waiting like this is pissing me off..." Itachi ignored him.

"Shit! Tobi I can't believe you interrupted me for this!" I flinched slightly, Deidara's voice was unmistakable.

"Sorry, Sempai. But you've been outside all day – you probably haven't eaten properly yet today!" Tobi and his child-like voice reasoned. Itachi sighed slightly, shifting.

"Be quiet, _you're annoying me_" I stiffened at the unfamiliar voice- or two, or was it one? Itachi flung the door open swiftly, only to reveal Tobi in a head-lock in Deidara's arms. The other members of Akatsuki were present, just like the day I arrived – even Konan was here. It was quiet now...oh Kami-sama...please don't stare like that. Unwittingly, I took a step backwards, accidently stepping on Hidan's foot. The man simply grunted, mumbling profanities and pushed me pointedly forwards.

I stumbled to a halt, just behind Itachi, thanking my lucky stars I didn't fall on him. My breathing was shallow – I couldn't breathe. "Be kind, Zetsu-san" Itachi stated, pivoting towards me and placing his hand between my shoulder blades; I flinched violently, but I let him lead me towards my seat, never missing the curious look that crossed his features, or for that matter, the smirk across Deidara's own.

"_Show __him__ kindness? _Of course, forgive me." the back and white- uh, plant-thing, said, eyeing me almost hungrily – seriously, it's like it wants to eat me. Pulling back one of the seats, Itachi gestured for me to sit, which I did, after saying my prayers of course. Itachi took the seat to my right, and Hidan none too gracefully yanked back his chair and plopped down in his seat at my left.

It only took a moment for the silence to be broken "I'm fuckin' _starving_, Kisame. Is the food ready yet?" Hidan questioned, a deep frown gracing his features. Across the table, the blue man, grinned, laughing slightly.

"It's cooking, Hidan. Don't you have any patience?" He stood making his way slowly into the next room, in which a seriously amazing smell was emitting, it really made my mouth water. Kisame only received a dry look as his answer.

"Leader-sama is not coming?" Itachi asked, frowning slightly.

Shaking her head, Konan sighed "I do not know. He might, if he completes his work." I looked down at my lap, playing with the rim of my shirt. I didn't want to be here. I did't _need_ to be here. I have no place here, believe it or not, all I want to do is go home. Another six months of this – _thing - _inside of me and I'll be free. Or at least I would be, if I were in Konoha.

I yelp loudly- having been jabbed violently in the ribs, looking around most of Akatsuki seem a little irritated at the outburst, only a few looked stunned, well...sort of. Hidan glares at me, jerkin his head in Konan's direction. Muttering a quite apology I turn my attention towards her, she only smiles slightly, "Have they been treating you well, Kiba-kun?"

I blinked, when did she learn my name? I nodded at her silently looking down at my lap again, realizing that I had been staring "y-yeah" I mutter after a moment, gulping.

She nods slightly, "And Deidara?" she says, at which I tense slightly. I remain silent, in thought...if I said that he hadn't then...what would he do to me later? I said he had...what would he think? What if another Akatsuki member- more specifically, Hidan, points out I'm lying?

My mouth opens, preparing to answer, but before even a breath can escape my lips I'm interrupted "No. Bastard disobeyed direct orders from you." to put it lightly, Deidara looked hateful. "He decided to pay Kiba a little visit – if you get my meaning." I blushed darkly out of both shame and embarrassment, bringing one knee up in an incredibly bad attempt to hide my face.

Frowning the blue-haired Kunoichi shook her head "I see." She paused "And Hidan..."

"Yeah?"

"Watch your language at the table."

The room lapsed into silence, with the exception of a few snickers and Hidan mumbling something about Jashin and Sacrifices. The blue guy, Kisame came out of the kitchen after a couple of minutes of loud clanging and banging. By the end of it we were sure there wouldn't be any dinner to have, but, as it turns out, it was safe and sound. In a matter of seconds Akatsuki began to shovel helpings of the many different dishes on the table onto their empty plates...I waited, it looked like Hidan and ...I think it was his partner, were going to kill each other over the same piece of squid.

I jumped slightly when I was bought from my thoughts, Itachi having reached for my plate, serving me the things he knew I wouldn't complain too much about. "Thank you..." I murmured, after he set my plate back down in front of me. He nodded and went about filling his own plate.

Dinner went about in silence, only the slight clink of chopsticks dared break it, I don't know what it was, but I could tell this wasn't the way Dinner usually went – it's like they were waiting for something to happen.

"_Leader-sama is not coming?"_

"_I do not know. He might, if he completes his work."_

The movement of my chopsticks from my plate to my mouth stopped, I stared down at my plate silently down at my food. Were they expecting their Leader to come? But, if that was the case, then...what for? "Where's Tobi?" Kisame pipped up suddenly.

A scoff came from the opposite end of the table "the masked nuisance said he had to do something, yeah" Deidara stated, before popping a piece of asparagus into his mouth. Looking around, I too, noticed a lack of an orange mask...he seemed to have disappeared.

"What?" Kisame pressed lightly, only to receive a shrug. Kisame sighed, returning to his meal.

"Why do you even care what that useless lump is doing, Kisame?" Deidara asked, almost bitterly.

A small sigh from beside the two of them "that 'useless lump' is your partner Deidara. You yourself should show a little more concern for his whereabouts" Deidara scowled at the blue-haired woman, scoffing when he saw Kisame agree with a nod, silently. I sat still, almost afraid to move, for what if, when I did, they'd take notice...

After a moment, the commotion seemed to die down and I could feel my senses coming back to me. You know – I'm starving. With that thought in mind I bring my own chopsticks to my lips, a piece of chicken barely making it to my lips as I'm once again interrupted when another conversation is struck up- with me this time. "Is the food not to your liking, Kiba-kun?" Konan's soft but assertive voice fills my ears. I nod slightly, opening my mouth to reply.

"Doubt it – he was stuck in hospital with some stupid eating dis-order or something like that, yeah" I freeze, my chopsticks falling listlessly from my hands and landing with light clanging sounds. I barely registered Deidara's jovial chuckle.

The room lapsed into silence- or, at least to me it did. H-how did he...? I gasp silently, thinking back to my days in hospital, inwardly cursing – it was so _obvious! _"y-you..." I start, my throat suddenly dry, I can't seem to find my words. I end up staring at him, my eyes wide with terror.

"Got it." He states triumphantly, a cocky smirk weaving it way onto his features. I'm shaking visibly now. All that time...all that time in that hospital...he was right there, with me. Watching me. And I...wasn't able to tell. If he wanted to, he could have killed me...

By now, everyone is watching silently, the first interaction (other then Hidan) that anyone had ever witnessed from the two of us. While it was true that I had been here three months, Deidara and I had barely any contact. For that much, I'm thankful, counting it as a blessing. "I'm so stupid" I mutter almost inaudibly, in a second, Deidara was on his feet and by my side, wrenching me from my seat and holding my face between in hands, _almost_ tenderly.

He leaned in closely "now, now, Kiba-kun. Don't be so hard on yourself" I hear is light chuckle and he glanced at something I can't see "it's not your fault you have little tolerance for hospitals. That Chakra seal must've been a pain" I gasp silently, pulling myself from his hands, only stopping once my backside hit the table. Thankfully, I didn't sit on anything.

"I'm not sick." I blurt out, not even sure why, "I never _was_ sick."

"Something completely different" I hear Itachi mutter, thoughtfully. Hidan glances swiftly between the two of us. The silver-haired male stands, gripping my upper arm tightly, pulling me towards the door.

I hear Deidara groan loudly "I'm not allowed to have any fun, am I?" I questions indignantly, loudly. Hidan's grip on my slackens for just a moment, be it tightens again, and I'm yanked to the side as the door flies open. Tobi comes bounding in, shouting a quick greeting before the next body entered the room.

"Leader-sama" Hidan states, simply. This 'Leader' of theirs...he brought a shudder to my already shaken frame. His Orange hair was almost like fire, his face littered with piercings...and his eyes...oh, Kami-sama, his eyes...It was had to explain, but...they were unique, the first likes of which I had ever seen. I stiffened when those orbs of his lingered on me, his indifferent expressing was making me decidedly uncomfortable.

"You are Inuzuka Kiba?" he asks, his tone deeper then I imagined it. I am frozen for just a moment, coming back to my senses when Hidan gave my arm the tightest of squeezes he could muster – causing me to wince. I nodded slightly, not trusting my voice to keep the pain from it. He looks me over, we make eye contact as he eyes meet my face. It was perhaps just a second or so later that he states "you are a curious one." With all said and done, he motions Hidan to take me away with a wave of his hand.

**(A/N: So? What do you think? I know it took a while, but it was better then last time, right?**

**I'm sorry about this. I bet you all thought it was going to be more interesting then this, didn't you? I'm sorry for crushing your hopes and dreams. Feel free to tell me how very disappointed you are in me. And, thank you all for being patient.)**


	29. Resolve

Authors note: Mm...I hope this is better then the last chapter...it was more of a transition chapter then anything :s

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I AM in possession of fanart that doesn't have him in in it xD

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter twenty-nine: Resolve

Sitting alone in a thoughtless silence is not one of the past times that one would usually partake, simply because to be left alone without the slightest murmur in the back of your mind is a very rare occurrence. No, usually one would sit quietly, not silently, for how can it be silent when you can hear yourself pondering whatever it is that one ponders? Noise. No matter what, noise is inevitable.

But not today.

Today absolute silence was all that was available, not even the soft breathing of the bundle, sat cross-legged on a plush bed could penetrate the sound of nothingness. Lost in thought was indeed Inuzuka Kiba. He had been taken to his 'chambers' so suddenly he had not had time to question it – had not thought to question it – had not even thought to question why he wasn't questioning it. He simply sat, staring emptily at the ground, over the side of his bed, his leg tucked as closely as they could to his bloated stomach.

Have you ever noticed? When you realize you were being silent, that you're not any more?

**- Kiba - **

...Kami-sama, help me. My shoulders tense suddenly, realizing that I hadn't been paying attention. What did they want with me, really? Information about Naruto? What could I possibly tell them that they don't already know? He's a Jinchuuriki, he's an impatient moron, he's completely blind when it comes to other people's emotions, unless they're crying. And last but not least, he's at _home_, where I want to be. Bastard. When I- _if_ I get out of here...I'll kick your ass for this.

My mother, I don't even what to think what she's going through...I worry her too much. I was trouble when I was born, I was a bother growing up, and now I'm hopeless. Completely. And what about Kurenai-taichou? Will she be worried? I wouldn't want that, last I heard she was pregnant...I don't want to stress her out. And Hinata...I've worried her. I know I have. She's too sweet not to be worried, and-

And...Shino?

What about him? He's probably the only one trying to keep a cool head. He's not the type to panic openly. It'll be fine, they'll be fine. All three of them, especially with Shino to look after them. He may not look it, but I know, he's very protective of his team. A number of times, I've seen him take damage for even Kurenai-sensei. Even if I never make it back, and even if I never get to tell Shino how fucking _awesome_ he is, then...

My eyes soften, my hand unconsciously running over my stomach. The first time I ever kissed him, he was just so...charming, about it. The way he just, let me do it, I was so confused, especially when he ignored my hurried apologies. He told me it was "fine" and that he was worried I'd "catch a cold". He even wanted to "see me well" at training... I'll say this only once; I couldn't _breath. _He looked so fucking sexy drenched from head to foot- whoah- holy...

Did I seriously just think that? A blush rose on my cheeks, confirming my fears. It's strange when I think about it. All those years, I never even kissed any of my girlfriends, and then, I have some short of emotional breakdown and _jump_ my best friend...Thinking back, I suppose I always stared at him. Not blatantly, but, I still stared. He was always so mysterious, so _untouchable_, that when I finally did, I wanted more.

So, so much more. And, as greedy as I was in my pursuit, I suppose I...I guess I came to...think that I...

"I love you..." I whisper to myself, almost inaudibly.

I yelp loudly at the sudden pain in my side, reaching down to cradle my stomach. After a moment, I pale, finally realizing – It kicked me... I froze when it happened again, I shot my my seated position, clutching my stomach lightly, but firmly. I felt a little dizzy, and I was probably several shades lighter. I felt cold suddenly. Cold and scared. I began shaking lightly, crumpling to a floor in a heap. My hand outstretched to stop me falling forwards.

This was real. More real to me now then it ever was and I - my fists clenched tightly – I was alone. Nobody here knew – nobody here cares and, no one at all can even _understand_ how I feel. This thing inside of me is just so...alien, I... I can't stand it.

It's alive.

It's moving.

It's _his._

I tensed, my head turning sharply towards the door when it swung open quickly, I winced slightly at the crash it made, reverberating off the door. I blinked, slightly up at the pair. It was Hidan and...someone else. He wore some really weird head dress, he...sort of reminded me of a surgeon, he had really creepy eyes, green and red...

Strolling forwards, Hidan knelt before me, frowning. "What's got you so down, Inuzuka? I ain't no good with Criers" Just then a sob broke through my so far quiet breakdown, I covered my mouth with my hand, my shoulder shaking with silent sobs as I cried, looking down at the floor. I cried to stop, aware that both the Akatsuki members were staring. I took a few deep breaths, wiping away what tear I could, barely managing to keep my voice level.

"'M...sorry" another sob. More tears. Complete breakdown.

I'm crying outright, now. I don't think I could cry harder if I tried. I vaguely heard Hidan mutter to himself "Oh shit," it wasn't long after that I heard "Kakuzu-chan! Do something, fuck." I felt myself being yanked roughly to my feet, stumbling a moment before I managed to regain my footing. I managed to stifle my loud sobbing, sadly, the same can't be said for my actual tears...or my shaking. I let out a pained whine when I felt that Kakuzu guy's grip tighten around my wrist as he led me out of my room and down the corridor. I glance upward, he seems pretty irritated.

We continued our journey in relative silence, what with me barely being able to stop crying for more then a second. I've tried to stop but, I can't and I don't know _why_. Even _I'm _getting annoyed me. I think at one point I was crying about being unable to stop crying. We eventually stop in front of a door, one which Kakuzu knocks, grudgingly. Is he not used to knocking? Or was it the errand of going to receive me that annoyed him? At that thought, a new wave of tears hits me. Am I too much trouble?! What's wrong with me?! Apart from being uncooperative, I've been a good captive!

Behinds me, Kakuzu sighs, mumbling in annoyance. We are given the okay to enter and I stop dead in my tracks when I see what was on the other side of that door. I yelp as I'm yanked in side gruffly by Kakuzu. Leader was in here...and so was Konan "Ah, Kiba-kun. Welcome to the medical centr0" The walls are as rough as the rest on the place, and if possible, gloomier. There are two beds on the other side of the room, and all the medical equipment on the other. The only chairs in the room were taken up by Leader that woman.

I doubt this was the safest place to have an operation.

"Wh-what" I sniffle "what am I doing here...?" I pointedly wipe the tears from my eyes, holding them back as best I could. Konan stands suddenly, slowly making her way over, only to stop in front of me, cupping my face. I freeze in place, unwilling to make a move to wander here, still sniffling as barely there sobs make it past my lips.

"Why are you crying, Kiba-kun?" she asked? A small smile on her face, she seemed strangely happy to see me upset...or was that her way of telling me to get a grip? I wanted to say something, I really did. I wanted to scream that I, and I quote _'want to get the fuck home because I have a baby coming and I don't want to fucking have it in the hands of the enemy!'_ Not that I was at all concerned with it. But, not matter how hard I tried, the words, or at least something similar to, wouldn't leave my mouth.

"I want-" hiccup "ple-ease" choked sob "I- c-can't st-op crying – I'm sorry" I turns away, waggling my head from her grasp to wipe away my tears. Konan sighs beside me, soft, yet melodramatic. She takes my hand, leading me over to one of the beds, sitting me down on it.

"What was it you wanted, Kiba-kun?" She asked curiously, I shake my head, dismissing it. She nods slightly turning her back towards me. My eyes narrow slightly. How dare she. I may not be a threat to her, considering my circumstances, but that's just insulting. "Pein-sama, he is quite settled." I blink away the last of the tears in my eyes, my new-found frustration fuelling me.

I hardly had time to fume properly before I was confronted with the most dangerous man in the room (well, he probably was) He stares at me for a moment, I find myself unable to look at him, for fear that I might just tell him _everything_. "There is something wrong with you" he states, I tense, my breath hitching, "It seems I was correct" at that I curse mentally. The bastard was only speculating! "Look at me, boy." reluctantly, I do, so. Moving slowly, my eyes wide with terror.

I open my mouth to speak "um-"

"I do not usually expose myself to prisoners" He stated, eye ringed eyes locking with mine, they seemed to radiate a malicious nothingness. An involuntary shiver ran down my spine, visibly shaking my whole form. "You are here to be examined." He said, calmly, my eyes widened further, I open my mouth to protest, but he holds his hand to silence me "You are being tested for your usefulness for Akatsuki's goals."

"Wh-which are...?" I question meekly, terrified for myself.

His eyes narrow "Such insolence." he bites out, causing me to shrink away, I glance over at the door, only to see Hidan and Kakuzu stood at the ready, watching with a vague interest. "You will know if I find you useful" he turns to the side, as if dismissing me completely.

"And if I'm not?" I asked, not entirely sure whether or not I wanted the answer to that question.

There was a tense moment of silence before he answered "Then you will die. I will have no further need for you" I blanch, my colour fading from my cheeks. I felt like crying, but this time, the tears didn't come. I had known. I guess I had always known that I would die here. I suppose, I never was going to see Konaha's walls again. I remember so clearly, the route home from the gates, the way into town – Team Kurenai's training grounds...

I won't- I won't see their faces...not ever again. Not Hana, or Ma'. Shino...I won't get to tell Shino- Oh, damn it, I left it too late. I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry I was so useless to you all- Akamaru...look after Ma'. Kenshi, He'll...be fine...always is...

With my resolve in place, I looked up, resigned to my fate. There was nothing I could do, so I may as well get it over with. I'm surprised to see Leader staring at me intently, patiently. It wasn't just him either, the other three were too. Well, Kakuzu was only half interested from what I could tell. I looked up at Pein, defiance in my heart and mind. "I will not be tested."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Hidan mouthing 'oh shit' or something. Leader's eyes were Dangerously narrow "Is that so?" he asks, a silent threat behind his words.

I nod solemnly "it is" I know this looks like I'm being stupid, and really, I am. But hell, I'm going to die anyway. I may as well not appear as pathetic as I am. Glancing back at the door, I notice Hidan had snuck out, or, at least left, very quietly.

Pein straightens his posture, glaring darkly down at me "You will submit to testing"

"I won't need to if I can tell you what's wrong with me."

* * *

The dead of night was an unusual time to be out and about, especially during heavy rain, but that didn't seem to faze the Dark figure, walking the streets with no one but his even darker four-legged companion. His ebony locks framed his subtly angular features. The pair were soaked to the bone, indicating the long hours spend under the sky's tears.

The tallest figure comes to a halt slowly, Glancing up as they sky fills with a brilliant flash lightening. He closed his eyes, savouring the feel of the rain drops falling carelessly on his face. He felt his friends presence by his side and smirked maliciously at nothing in particular. He heard the low growl of his pet "Soon Kagemaru...he'll be mine, soon."

Running a hand through his wet locks, a breathless chuckle escaped his lips, soon forming into a low snicker, escalating suddenly into a loud laughter, it seemed more manic with every breath his took. It was a cold and evil laugh – but still barely contained so that he would not wake the entire street. He had heard Akimichi Chouji lived along here some where. He did not want to risk waking a fellow Chuunin.

**(A/N: I'm sorry this took a while, but be glad! I've FINALLY REALLY gotten over my Writer's block. Inspiration hit me on the 8th! Thank it, please! Also I give endless cookies to all of you who've been patient with me so far. Now, sadly, I'm planning on ending this fic soon. I'm not sure when, but, it won't be too far into the 30's, that's just pushing it. More importantly, there may or may not be a **sequel **to **Beautiful Liar**, depending really on my inspiration to continue. Thank you all, I'm amazed at my Fics successfulness! Thank you!**


	30. Something else

* * *

Authors note: I hope you like this, forgive me for not updating in a while, a slight lack of inspiration.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did he would be wearing purple socks, a yellow trilby hat and a magenta scarf.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter thirty: Something else.

Tweeting pleasantly in the new light of of morning, birds sang their merry little song in which depicted altogether nice things, such as a new born baby, cake, but above all – sleep. Now, sleep is a very precious thing to most, as some require their beauty sleep and others, a lie-in before forcing themselves out of bed to face the day head-on.

It is important to know that it is a fact of the life that 'the early bird gets the worm', but, more importantly, one should always know, that 'the late-rising dog gets his breakfast whenever'. This particular saying applies to one dog in particular, one very large, very white dog.

Snoozing away, his nose buried beneath his master's pillow upon his soft and squishy bed, Akamaru lay, breathing evenly and taking in what remained of his Kiba-chan's scent. To Akamaru his master and friend had always been somewhat confusing, for he knew, that most humans looked very dis- similar, especially if they weren't somehow related. But, in the entirety of the dogs existence, not once had be come across a male who smelt like a female. Well, apart from Kiba of course.

Now, most animals are able to distinguish male from female through their basic, natural scent. All males and females had similar gender-specific smells to them, both of which are drastically different. Most males seemed to emit a strong, almost pungent smell, sharp and dominating. But females however, their scent is softer, easier on the nose, emitting a sense of calm and control. His master smelt female. Especially when he was horny. To put it mildly, the scent of a horny female is positively overloading on the senses.

Akamaru shifted where he lay, standing on his hind legs and pushing his front paws out in front of him, subsequently burying his legs beneath the pillow while he stretched lazily, releasing a wide-mouthed yawn and shaking his tail a few times for good measure. Once the nin-dog was all limbered up, he clambered off the bed and headed for the bedroom door. His stomach growled hungrily, causing him to increase his pace and practically raced towards the kitchen.

Skipping the last three stairs, Akamaru pounced into the kitchen, yipping in a somewhat puppy-like manner suggesting he every much wanted to be fed _this very instant! _He had fully expected Kiba to pop out of nowhere and place a bowl on kibble in front of him and give him permission to stuff his face with an overly-affectionate pat on the head.

That dream was shattered almost instantly when he saw that is was his master's elder sibling that placed the bowl in front of him and gave in a gentle scratch behind the ear "Good morning, Akamaru" she greeted, to which Akamaru whined pitifully. Master's sibling frowned slightly, running a hand down his back lovingly "I know, I miss him too. He'll come back though...I hope...". With that she placed a small kiss top the white nin-dog's head and went about her business, allowing Akamaru to eat as swiftly as possible.

Sadly for Akamaru, he had never really noticed how much of his life revolved around Kiba-chan, for he provided variety, no two things were ever the same when he was around. Akamaru supposed he got it from his mother. Both were so temperamental at times it's hard to predict how they'll react to something. Akamaru shook his head slightly. What a hard life he lived.

"'Morning, Hana, Akamaru!" speak of the devil, Akamaru's eyes followed the voice, barking his hello when his eyes fell upon the alpha-female of the house.

"'Morning ma'" replied the younger female, Hana. Akamaru frowned a small dog-like frown, in an attempt to remember the Alpha-females name. Yes, it's sad to say that he never really paid much attention to anyone who wasn't his master or in his master's team. He knew for a fact it began with a 'T', he had heard the one with the black hair call her by name a lot...always saying Aunt T-something...

Tsoomi? No.

Tsumo? Uh uh. Nope.

Tsume! That was it! Tsume!

Aunt Tsume, huh? Hmm.

Akamaru huffed slightly, laying down beside his bowl, with his paws resting on the bridge of his nose and his ears pressed back against his head. He needed to think, and what batter way to start then to get into his thinking pose? He had always felt edgy around the foreign Inuzuka, something about him never felt right, even on their first encounter when he and Kagemaru were just puppies. He always showed such aggression, even without realizing it. He always stood tall, challenging everyone with a sharp glare, looking them directly in the eyes.

Yes, it could just mean his was confident, after all, humans are different to dogs and cats, and definitely mice. Akamaru let out a small whine. But, not matter what, there was always something else going on in his mind, as if...he were a little...unhinged... The darkness in his eyes was most definitely there. Akamaru knew, without a doubt, the Inuzuka was not friendly.

* * *

"Do you always have to drag us along with on your diplomatic trips, Gaara? "

There was a moments silence before a great thud sounded, echoing slightly throughout the surrounding forest "of course we do, Kankuro! Gaara can't always protect himself, you know!"

"Ow, shit! Temari! The fan!" Cried the puppeteer, clutching the side of his head as he continued to walk "Did you have to use the _fan!?_" he asked, in a much quieter yet more incredulous tone. They had wrapped themselves up in warmer clothing once they reached the borders of the Fire country – winter was fast approaching and the warm and sunny temperatures running for the hills.

The eldest of the three siblings, and also the only female raised his fist threateningly once again "Language!" to which Kankuro put his hand out in front of him in a defensive manner, grinning slightly.

"Okay, okay, you win, jeez. Calm down" Kankuro rolled his eyes, turning them on the path ahead, landing on Gaara who, as of yet, hadn't said a word the entire three days they had been travelling. "Oi, Gaara-"

"Quiet" the youngest of the three, and Kazekage stated, still walking "we are almost there. Don't complain any more." The three siblings had been travelling backwards and forwards once a month in the hopes of continuing to strengthen Suna's ties with Konoha. Although, both Villages had done a little too much for one another to even let the idea of cutting all links with the other an option. Yes, while the their relationships with the Village Hidden in the Leaves was not at all strained, it didn't hurt to try.

After all, it could do the heart wonders to see distant friends and allies again. Indeed it was difficult for the Kazekage to get away, but, when he could, he did. If only to see the back of his paperwork. Not that his didn't enjoy doing it. He quite liked to sit down and relax over a glass of steaming green tea and a Trade agreement, actually.

Of course, it wasn't everyday that the Kazekage came strolling through Konoha's gates, thinking nothing of it. Then again, he often didn't leave the confines of Suna's walls for a reason. He had left Matsuri in charge of her squad which was put in place to put a stop to any sort of uprising or the attempt to usurp Gaara's position as Kazekage.

Make no mistake, Gaara was not naïve, he knew he hadn't won the hearts of all in his village quite yet – therefore, he required a little self-assurance. Matsuri was a capable Ninja, and her team where nothing if not loyal.

* * *

The sun beat down upon his back, despite the beginning of the winter chill, of course, where he was, winter didn't have much of a hold. The Earth country lacked in many seasons, only have two; the wet season and the dry season, Suna was the same. Both countries were too far gone in their extreme weather climate in order to have any winter of any sort. Of course, the holiday's were celebrated.

Winter in Konoha is traditionally spent with one's family. The month of December consisted of many gatherings and parties and throughout the winter months each different squad was allocated a week or so to relax and wind down before the spring (set at different times so that the country was never left defenceless).

Of course, the Aburame clan celebrated too, just less enthusiastically. Most were far too busy as it was and, while they didn't got have time to come together as a clan, they often tried, but Shino enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with his father. The Aburame boy could not remember a time he'd been away from home so long – perhaps this was a first. To say the least, if he could, he would be glad to see the back of the Earth country, it's vast and wide terrain proving tiresome.

However, he knew that he could not, not until Kiba or a clue to his whereabouts had been found. He had been spreading the word, to all the shinobi that would listen, even his enemies, even if they didn't gaze at him with a hostile scepticism. He put the word out that Inuzuka Kiba had been kidnapped, and also, however reluctantly, he included the information on the Kidnapper.

Akatsuki.

He did this because he knew, Akatsuki were the enemies of all, and putting a stop of them was more important then the hatred and rivalry that sparked up between any country. Sadly, there was no promising Kiba would be returned to Konoha if an enemy Nation discovered his location and successfully retrieved him. What's more is that the Iwa-nin he'd spoken to only seemed to become more agitated when he explained that the kidnapper (yes, Shino had done his research) was an ex-Iwa-nin.

It was a possibility that they thought him to be accusing them of working together with the Akatsuki to kidnap the Inuzuka. Shino had hastily, yet calmly informed them that no, he did not believe that to be the case. Still, he told them all of this during and after yet another heated battle.

So, adjusting his glasses, Shino sent hordes of Kikaichuu in the general direction of Konoha, bearing his weekly message to his father, saying exactly the same thing 'I am fine. No luck finding Kiba, continuing search.' Now, this was not the time to be mistaking this as foolishness, although, on some level, Shino was beginning to think it was – he was determined. Determined to find his friend and team mate to ensure his safety and to bring him home.

However, Shino was not determined to a fault; that was Naruto's job. Shino merely wanted to see the face of the one that he'd come to enjoy the company of. That's all...

* * *

Akamaru enjoyed spending his days walking in the town. Sometimes he saw quite a few of Master's friends and they treated him nicely. The blonde girl was often one of the nicest, greeting him with a hug and a poke on the nose "Oh- cold!" she'd always say "And wet. Healthy as usual" then she would smile and go the the nearest food stand and by him some freshly cooked meat.

Or sometimes she would get the lazy one to do it.

Sadly though, today was different. So far he hadn't seen any of them, not even the shy one, Hinata, that Master was teamed with. Akamaru whined mentally, he knew Shino was away on a mission, but it didn't stop Akamaru wanted to be around him – even after the incident between the two of them when he was a pup. Akamaru held no grudges against Shino or his bugs for attacking him – he was ill after all. Despite this, however, for a few weeks afterwards Akamaru's hostility towards the Bug-user was prominent.

No, this time, Akamaru was left alone, wondering the streets, glancing about curiously and thinking that a nice piece of beef would do the heart good. Or at least his stomach. By his reckoning he was around about two o'clock in the afternoon, so he'd been out and about most of the day.

He was sad to admit that while he enjoyed his alone time, he enjoyed the company of others more. Even the strange boy with the Bowl-cut was sounding to be better and better company by the second. That's right. Akamaru was considering going to look for Konoha's Green Beast – Rock Lee. Akamaru paused in his tracks, and sat himself down stubbornly. No, no – he would not stoop so low, not that Lee was bad company, there was just only so much of him he could take in one day.

Just as Akamaru stood again, entertaining the idea of going home and receiving attention there, a whiff of something familiar was brought to his nose's attention. Sniffing the air, circling the on the floor, in an attempt to locate the exact location of the scent, rotating between sniffing the floor and the air.

With success, and his nose glued to sky-ward Akamaru moved forwards, brushing past the crowed, certain that on more then one occasion he tripped someone up and sent them plummeting to the ground. Not that it mattered. The scent was getting stronger and he neared the North gate, he moved quickly past the two shinobi on guard duty, the two of them having a heated debated about Light-bombs and "other then blinding the enemy temporarily, what good are they, Izumo-chan?!"

"Izumo-chan?! Where do you get off calling me that, Kotetsu – Light bombs are a useful tool!-"

Akamaru blocked out the rest, resisting the urge to stay and watch, these two were always amusing. Slipping through the open gate, Akamaru brought his nose the ground, the scent was much stronger now. Akamaru sniffed harder, knowing that his target was nearby. Akamaru quickened his pace, walking hurriedly into the forest, nose stuck to the floor and very nearly walking head-first into a tree – it wasn't smart but at least he avoided it with a quick sharp turn to the left before it was too late.

Suddenly – as if he had indeed walked into a tree – Akamaru's eyes widened, in shock and excitement, the scent he'd smelt before... the Akatsuki man! The blonde one! He was here! But, more importantly, another more important, more familiar scent had been seeping into his senses without his noticing it.

Racing forwards further into the forest, Akamaru sniffed, coming to a sudden halt once he set eyes upon a mound – it was breathing, it was pale, it was asleep, but more importantly, that mope of brown hair was something he could _never _forget.

He found Kiba-chan.

Laying on his back, head tilted to the side, his arms resting on his chest, almost as if he'd been positioned there on the ground, was Kiba. Moving forwards, Akamaru licked frantically at his Master's face, determined to wake him, however, when it failed to work Akamaru stopped and turned, deciding that now was the time to get help – those two guards would have to do!

So, setting off once again, the Giant dog (unfortunately unable to carry Kiba on his back in his current medical condition) ran quickly, faster then he believed he ever had before, barking loudly as he went. Breaking through the line of the forest once again, Akamaru continued to bark, yet this time, he caught yet another scent – no, he pauses, sniffing diligently, three...there were three. He turned his head to the right, and sure enough not far off were three familiar faces.

He barked loudly, running at them frantically, it only took a moment for the dog to reach his target, barking, hurriedly and jumping backwards and forward, as if urging them to follow "Akamaru, what's up?" the painted man asked, Akamaru only growled lowly and backed in reply, running a few paces back the way he came and back again

"Something is wrong" the Red-head stated, to which Akamaru nodded a very dog-like nod, exaggerated in such a way that could mean he often practised nodding. He barked again this time it trailed off into a whine.

"Show us, quickly" the woman demanded hurriedly, to which Akamaru obliged but running off without so much as a warning. He turned briefly to ensure they were following him, and to his relief, they were, and were gaining quickly. Ducking into the forest again, swiftly, the four of them raced toward the target.

Collective gasps filled the area at the scene they found.

Inuzuka Kiba lay unconscious, the position of his body was unchanged, but that was not what shocked them. Although, seeing Kiba in such a stated was shocking in itself, it was Kiba's attire that raised the questions. Gaara squared his jaw, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Kankuro moved forwards, in order to inspect his old friend closely. Temari simply stood, unable to do or think. She was the only one brave enough to voice the question everyone was thinking - "why is he wearing that...?"

True enough, Kiba lay donning an Akatsuki cloak, it's sleeves much too long for his hands, the only part of which were visible were the tips of his fingers. Kankuro shook his head silently, gripping some of the material between his fingers – Akamaru barked impatiently, huffing haughtily. The puppeteer gasped silently as his eyes fell upon the Inuzuka's face "guys."

Temari continued to voice her thoughts aloud, her tone almost distracted "Do you think maybe he-"

"-Guys!"

The youngest frowned slightly "Kankuro?"

"...Kiba's lips are blue" he bought a hand to Kiba face, pulling away quickly "He's cold as ice." Without a second thought, Kankuro picked Kiba up with his head resting gently against the puppeteers chest "shit-" he muttered "you weight a tone Kiba..." a pause "Let's go, hurry!"

The siblings nodded resolutely, they would address this matter later, but first they must bring Kiba to safety, it was entirely possible that Kiba was suffering from frostbite, and that last thing any one wanted was to wake up to an amputated limb.

* * *

It was nightfall when he received the message – Kiba had been found! He was home and he was safe! The young shinobi had been elated beyond all reason (not that he'd ever let it show) upon hearing the news and had been travelling non-stop on the way back to Konoha. He was determined to reach home quickly, sadly enough, he was over a week away, even with the non-stop travel.

That's right. Shino Aburame was impossibly far away and was more then annoyed that he would not be able to see his friends face for another week for so, but better that then never at all.

**(A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed it, much longer then usual, but, just so you know, that'll be happening a lot, after all, I've got quite a few lose ends to tie up before I finish the story. That's right – lots more to come :D**

**I'm sorry this chapter was...somewhat uninteresting. And yes, I'm aware there is a huge time-skip, but don't worry, I did that for a reason, we WILL be revisiting that. But, please review! Tell me what you thought? I'm actually quite proud of myself. This chapter was really difficult to write.)**


	31. Welcome home

Authors note: Dudes, Dudettes, I'm really sorry I took forever, major writer's block. Seriously? It was like head-butting a brick wall trying to think of how to do this chapter... plus, I have become lazy with Fanfiction in general. Sorry...

Disclaimer: I own.... *lists things monotonously*

Beautiful liar;

Chapter thirty-one: Welcome home.

It was unusual to wake up to ones own ceiling after so long in a cave, to say the least. No longer did one have to wake up to the jagged stone that covered every possible angle of every inch of every wall. No longer did he have to wake up fearing that it might have been his last day earth-bound. Of course, Kiba himself may have been more panicked about the sudden change of scenery had he not been so irrepressibly groggy.

He woke with a groan, glancing around, with eyes half-lidded and dulled with the after-effects of a jutsu he vaguely remembered being performed on him. Being clear-minded enough to know that he was (thankfully) in his own living room and laying on the sofa that sat in the corner of said room did not come easy to the Inuzuka. So there he lay, dazed and absent-minded much, much too tired to even think. Or perhaps, thinking too deeply to register the world around him.

_Clutching tightly at the warm black cloak that had been thrown over him carelessly, he stood, somewhat puzzled. Why had he done this? He had expressed...his expression...why? He watched the blonde man, moving around fluidly, pointedly ignoring him. Kiba watched as Deidara gather various items, ranging from a bag filled to the brim his clay, and kunai._

_Tobi stood next to him, quietly, with a hand on his shoulder. He had half a mind to shrug it off, but he felt that now was not the time to be showing any sort of hostility. Deidara rounded on the pair of them "Do it" he growled._

_With that said, Tobi positioned two fingers as the base of Kiba's neck, even before he younger male had a chance to open his mouth. His vision blurred and his knee's gave way and his mind fell into unconsciousness as Tobi reached out and caught him._

Kiba's eyes wandered, slowly. He had becomes vaguely aware that he was home. But, how? At present he figured he was alone, or perhaps, that if anyone were around, they decided not to bother him. He didn't even know if anyone was in the house at the moment? Had they left - shopping? On a mission? He didn't know. One thing he was certain of, however, was that they would not be pleased with him at all.

"_Oi, what the fuck's happening, yeah?!" Deidara had finally arrived at the medical centre, trailing behind Hidan, still putting kunai into his leg holster – obviously he'd been repairing to leave the site for a mission. His azure eyes shone with irritation and impatience, probably because Hidan and pulled him away from whatever it was he was doing._

_Growling in annoyance, the immortal replied "Just shut up – the kid's got somethin' important to say." _

"Kiba!" the boy heard, to which he pulled himself from his reverie, and turned to the side. His breath caught in his throat – his mother was there, stood over him with a large relieved smile of her face – he wondered briefly why he hadn't noticed her before. She bent over him, encircling her arms possessively around his shoulder and head, pulling him into a tight, loving hug against her chest. He allowed it, thankful for a touch he held no fear of. "It's good to see you finally awake" she muttered to him gently, her tone filled with joy and she finally released her son.

The young Inuzuka could only smile, a small smile in return for his mother's enthusiasm, still confused beyond reason. He glanced behind Tsume somewhat alarmed to find Hana, Kenshi and even Hinata stood at the door of the living room, crowding the doorway. Kenshi had an unmistakably pleased smirk plastered on his face, eyeing Kiba carefully, whilst Hana and Hinata watched with relief flooding their gaze.

"W-what-" Kiba cleared his throat, his voice rough from lack of use "what happened...?"

_Stood, pressed against the hospital bed, Kiba watched in awe and shock – Deidara stood in front of him, back to the young Inuzuka facing Pein with his arms out low at his side, creating what looked like a half-assed protective barrier with his own body. Pein's eyes were narrowed slightly, and Kiba looked up sharply hearing oncoming footsteps._

_Panting slightly, Hidan stood at the door frame again, Kakuzu not far behind, much less out of breath. Deidara spared them a brief glance, before turning to Pein again. "...The hell'd we miss?" Hidan questioned, genuinely bemused._

_Ignoring them, Deidara spoke, his voice tight with stress "You can't kill it, yeah. I won't let you. It's...just some dumbass kid." Deidara hadn't looked at Kiba since the origins of the child had been explained. Kiba didn't know what to make of the blond._

This time, it was Kenshi's turn to speak up, waltzing confidently into the room, taking a place beside Tsume, who stubbornly refused to leave her son's side now that he was awake "The Kazekage and his family found you not far from the gates of Konoha" he stated matter-of-factly, grinning now "you were stone-cold, you've been out for a couple of hours."

"The...Kazekage...?" Kiba parroted in alarm, sitting up a little on the sofa. Tsume nodded a little, moving to sit at Kiba's feet on the other side of the sofa.

Kenshi continued as if he hadn't heard the younger man speak "They'll be by in a while. They had business to attend to first. Fuck, you know, that guy with purple make-up one his face wouldn't leave you alone? What is he, a lover of yours?" blushing Kiba shook his head, bringing a hand to his face. It was so odd, having Kenshi behave as he he had never been kidnapped and was simply napping on the sofa "Good" Kenshi muttered, finally.

_Whimpering quietly, Kiba kept his eyes clamped firmly shut, wincing slightly at the pressure on his shoulders - Deidara held him tightly, pressing him against the wall, furious "You're shitting me! You have to be, it's not possible!"_

_Answering only with a small shake of the head, Kiba shook, something inside of him felt disheartened – why wouldn't the father of the child in his stomach believe him? Was it so hard? The proof was undeniable – Kiba was sure though, that even through the blond's denial, Deidara knew it was possible, after all...he bought it on himself. That much Kiba could clearly see, when he's creaked open his eyes a little, to watch the Akatsuki member carefully._

_Nothing was said for a few minutes, apart from Hidan's quiet exclaimation, "Holy fuckin' shit..." those three words alone seemed to make reality fall over everyone's heads. Even Itachi, who had stopped by just moments ago due to all the commotion had paused in shock._

It had been a few hours since Kiba had awoken, Tsume had abandoned her post on the Sofa beside Kiba, in favour of taking the dogs out, for some one on one training, deeming it safe to leave Kiba alone. Hana was in the Kitchen, preparing tea for the guests that had slowly, but surely started to arrive at Kiba;s home, to greet him with large smiles and polite nods. Neji sat between Ino and Hinata, who had made themselves comfortable on the opposite sofa. Kiba and Kenshi sat side-by-side, the elder hold the other boy against his side, comfortingly. It was remarkable, Kiba mused, how safe he finally felt after so long.

The Inuzuka was about two months into his pregnancy now, and had been advised, on many occasions by Kenshi to "take it easy, Bebii-chan" and with a rather firm, authoritative tone of voice. Come to think of it, Kiba had yet to leave his seated position. Although, despite his displeasure at not being as free as he would've liked now that he was, indeed, free, he couldn't help but turn to Kenshi and place a long, thankful lick along the Elder's left cheek.

Turning to look at Kiba, Kenshi grinned, leaning in to place a lick along Kiba's right cheek "I'm sorry," he whispered softly to Kiba in earnest "I know I'm not always the nicest person to you on the planet." he continued, Kiba listening intently, confused at Kenshi's sudden confession "I just want the best for you, Kiba-chan..." with that said, his grip around Kiba's waist tightened with a careful pressure, so as not to jostle the baby, but also, the grip was possessive "...and...you know I'm what's best for you. I'll protect you from now on."

A slight shiver ran down Kiba's spine as he looked away from his ebony-haired cousin, biting his lip slightly, ignoring the looks the pair were getting from his friends "Uh...sure" Kiba replied, unsure.

_The Akatsuki watched on as the Inuzuka's eyes filled with a fearless determination, as he matched his gaze with the Leader, Pein. It was odd, they found, to see the young boy with anything other the uncertainly in his sharp eyes._

"_I won't need to if I can tell you what's wrong with me." The young ninja stated factually, arms coming to fold over his chest somewhat stubbornly._

"_Oh?" Pein replied, stepping a little closer "then why not enlighten us all to your...predicament." It was then that Deidara chose to step further into the room, walking along the wall, edging a little closer to the Inuzuka._

"_I'm pregnant."_

_The room went silent for the first time._

**(A/N: Ah, yeah....this chapter was short then usual, and I'm sorry, I had been hoping to make it nice and long for you, but really. I can't. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I really do suck lately, don't I? I hope you enjoyed it though.**

**I know this chapter was a little confusing, believe me. I managed to confuse MYSELF writing it. All you really need to know is that the Italics were Kiba's flash-backs, snippet's of what happened, although, bot in the right order, but it started from the the END of where we left off and headed back to the beginning on where we left off. There will probably be a few more flash-backs next chapter, but yeah. This is the gist of it all.**

**I sort of condensed two chapters together. Is anyone willing to give me forgiveness cookies?)**


	32. Unease

Authors note: Okay. I am SO, SO, SO sorry I haven't updated in...how long?I don't even know. And thank you to all of those who have stuck with me so far. I know I'm an insufferable author.

Disclaimer: I don't know anything, if I did, do you still think I'd be in school? Poor?

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter Thirty-two: Unease

Life wasn't right.

Or, at least that's what it felt like. Inuzuka Kiba hadn't been able to settle since he had woken up in his home five days prior. It was not simply that he had not recovered his old routine – no, he had lost that even before his kidnapping. The problem was that he had. Picking up his routine was easy for the young Inuzuka, at least, as close to his normal routine as he could have managed in his condition.

Five days and nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Kankuro had come to visit, as had Hinata and Ino, the two young women visited him often these days. Kiba simply laughed when Hyuuga Neji would act awkwardly around him – quickly correcting himself when he thought he had said something that might have been considered offensive to the Inuzuka. If you were the sort of person to get irritated at every little thing. Obviously the Hyuuga genius had thought Kiba's "hormones" were raging.

Kiba couldn't help but feel amused when Neji's cheeks would redden, and he'd turn his back to the group, and pretend to assist someone with something, or swiftly change the subject with an uncomfortable clearing of the throat. Kiba understood of course, Neji was not the only one acting somewhat odd. It had become clear to Kiba, upon his second day back home, that a lot of people had become enlightened as to his situation, although, the circumstances were kept under a tight lid.

Sadly for the youngest Inuzuka member, he had not seen everyone. Shino had yet to return from his mission, and although he had received news that he was on his way back home, he had yet to appear. It had been Shibi, who had taken an afternoon to visit Kiba (on behalf of his son), to tell his son's team mate that the mission Shino had been sent one was his very own retrieval mission. Of course, had any of them known that Kiba would just be..._returned_, then they most likely wouldn't have sent Shino out.

Kiba tried not to let that offend him. After all, they might not have had the resources to spare on him if they already knew he would be returned. But who's to say whether or not he'd be returned in one piece? Although, at the same time, he was glad. After all, it meant that Shino wouldn't have had to clash with the Akatsuki.

Still, although Kiba new he was safe, as was Shino, he couldn't escape the feeling that something wasn't right. He wanted more then anything to see Shino, just make sure he was okay. Then, he said to himself, he would be happy. He would be content. He would live.

So, Kiba sat on the sofa in his living room, only half listening as Ino talked enthusiastically to Hinata and himself. He was happy though, to hear someone else's voice, mingling with others, all of which were comforting and familiar to him. But, despite all the comforts, Kiba could not escape from his mind, nor could he escape thoughts of the blond within. It had confused him, at first – Deidara's behaviour. How is it, that a man who had quite obviously hated him, could simply throw up his arms and defend him?

Initially, the answer had been staring Kiba in the face, but he had refused to believe it; the child. _It's just a stupid kid_, he had said. That's right, to Deidara that's all it was, so why bother defending it? It was impossible for Kiba to believe that Deidara had actually wanted the child. It had seemed clear that Deidara wanted as little to do with it as possible, at least, that's what it looked like.

"So that's when- Kiba?" Kiba blinked, brought from his thoughts by the concerned tones that laced Ino's voice. He blinked, a glanced up from his lap – to which his eyes had fallen – at the Yamanaka girl and the Hyuuga heiress, both of whom were watching him worriedly.

"Yes?" Kiba voiced quietly, embarrassed at having been caught in la-la land.

"A-are you alright...?" Hinata asked softly, bringing her hands together worriedly, subconsciously sitting forwards slightly in her chair. Sitting silently, Ino watched the boy across from her, her brow creased very minutely.

"O-oh, sure. Yeah...I was just thinking..." Kiba nodded and smiled awkwardly, unable to look the two girls in the eye for a few moments.

There was a pause in which a definite silence filled the room, "Thinking about what?" Ino pried, bluntly. She had decided long ago, that if you wanted o get anywhere with Kiba in his current state, you couldn't tip-toe around the subject "The Akatsuki? The baby? What?"

Grimacing, Kiba looked at the floor. He hated how Ino would do that to him, although he could hardly blame her for it. He knew she wasn't the only one who grew frustrated with his ambiguity. Plus...this was Ino. She liked to know _everything. _"B-both of those," Kiba supplied after a tense moment of thought "And...Shino..."

Hinata nodded slightly in understanding "You're worried about him too...I-I am..." For a moment she stopped, and then, added hesitantly "H-he'll be f-fine."

Kiba bloody well hoped so.

**(A/N: Okay. Even I'M disappointed with the length of this chapter. But honestly, I'm so stuck for ideas. It's been so long since I've updated this fic that I can barely remember what I had planned. But. This is me _trying_, okay? I'm sorry.**

**I give you all permission to beat me with a stick.**

**My inspiration is dying so, if any of you want to, HELP ME!**

**I've got a couple of weeks holiday from school, so I hope to try and get another update in during that time. Try and hope, being the two key words in that sentence. ) **


	33. Normality

Author's note: Well. I suck. Hands down. No arguing with it. How long ago did I update? Really? Wow.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did well. Lets just say it wouldn't be the same.

Beautiful Liar;

Chapter thirty-three: Normality.

The next few days passed easily. The weather was bright – perhaps a little too hot during the midday hours. The hustle and bustle of very day life within the village had once again managed to distract even Inuzuka Kiba on more then one occasion. The bird tweeted pleasantly when they were being about their business, steals scraps of food from the market owners in Konoha's business district, and then squawking indignantly when they were shooed violently way with a broomstick or a towel.

With that thought that Aburame Shino was going to be home any day now – perhaps even today if there was any justice in the world, Kiba was smiling – he'd been steadily getting back on his feet over the past few days. He'd gotten over the initial shock of his time away from the village, although that was mostly due to Ino and her incessant bothering. Yes – Ino and Hinata had been spending ever free moment they had with Kiba, ready and waiting to take his mind off certain dark and otherwise depressing thoughts. The Yamanaka girl had even begun to force Kiba out of his home and into the Yamanka Flower Shop so that he might have something to do instead of 'wallowing in misery at home' as she had so delicately put it. Honestly? Even if it did look like a girlie thing to do, Kiba was glad for the distraction. He was glad, although being as busy as he was, he barely noticed, that he didn't think of Shino so often, or even the blonde Akatsuki member.

As it stood, the sky was a bright, majestic shade of blue, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky – much to a certain Nara's dismay. The Chuunin exams were coming up and soon, the village would once again play host to Ninjas from all over the world. However, that would not be for another month or so. The thought of Naruto taking part in those exams always made Kiba laugh, although he wondered how that would work – would he go solo, or would he have to be put in a team of Genins? Ah, those were the days. Although, his nose still objected to being called Naruto's friend. Damn it if that boy couldn't kick.

However, at this moment, in time, It appeared to be just himself and Ino inside the walls of the flower shop. The blond had her back to him, where they stood in the centre aisle, arranging and clipping some of the flowers. He was, in fact, doing the same, on the other side of the aisle. She had instructed him on just how to go about this. This task was made much easier in his mind (after all, although his masculinity had been challenged enough as of late, he still fought tooth and nail to defend what he had left) when the Yamaka had pointedly said to him _"Kiba. I'm giving you a D Rank Mission."_ Yes, it was stupid, but a mission was a mission, however unofficial it may have been.

"So," Kiba started slowly, his eyes focused on his task "how long do we have to do this?" He questioned, picking out a yellow tulip. He had blushed when Ino had told him that that particular flower meant 'love', much like the reddest of roses. He inspected the stem of the flower before bringing up the pruning shears and clipping off an inch or so of the steam – as much as Ino demanded him to.

The blond huffed softly "You know you're more like Shikamaru than you know." she jabbed somewhat playfully "so lazy!" she laughed and Kiba looked sheepish, not that she would've noticed "you can stop when you run out of flowers on your side of the aisle." she finished matter of factly.

"Sorry!" Kiba exclaimed lightly. The Yamanaka was great for this sort of thing – she wasn't afraid to talk to him the way she talks to anyone else. He was glad for the natural behaviour she displayed towards him. Most people who knew about his condition still quite couldn't get used to the fact Kiba wasn't your average man. Although, if it had been say...the Kazekage would have been pregnant, well. There was definitely no way Kiba would know how to behave. In fact...that went for everyone. Himself and the Kazekage included. The youngest Inuzuka wasn't exactly sure if the Sand Village knew – if it were just the Kazekage and his siblings, but honestly, he didn't know what difference that would make. It just meant news of his condition was going further than he thought. Although, that being said, the three siblings were still in the village and would remain so for the next few days.

"Oi, Kiba!" A voice called from the doorway of the shop. The boy in questioned jumped, too deep in thought to have noticed their customer. "I was told I could find you here." That voice was familiar, and upon turning around, it was clear why. That voice belonged to Kankuro. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear as they say. Although, perhaps that saying would be more accurate if all three of the sand siblings had turned up.

The Inuzuka grinned. He had been much happier as of late – although he missed Aburame Shino terribly, he knew the boy would be home soon. He didn't know exactly when, but he would come. Shino wasn't the type to die. Not that easily. "Hey," the boy grinned, until he realised he'd been tending to flowers and looked a little sheepish as he placed the flower he'd been holding back in its display vase "Need me for something?" the brunette asked the puppeteer with a raised eyebrow.

Yamanaka Ino was silent as she watched the two. She hadn't been addressed, and she was a little miffed! Wasn't it rude not to acknowledge someone? But, then, she knew these two had formed a relationship way back. Kankuro had saved Kiba's life. She duly went back to tending her flowers, although she listened avidly to every word. It made her laugh sometimes. When she thought about how Kiba had made friends with the Puppet Master when Shino and the puppet Master stood on awkward ground even today. They'd gotten over their differences long ago, but they didn't always see eye-to-eye. And Shino was Kiba's best friend...it was a wonder. Kiba was kind of like Naruto - he was well-liked by everyone he met. Even if it wasn't, sometimes that seemed to happen instantly regardless. Kiba worked for his friendships, and he was admired for it. He was strong and loyal, as well. Besides. Having been on a fair number of missions with both Naruto and Kiba, Ino was able to pin-point Naruto's charm, and why Kiba had to work that little bit harder to get where Naruto is. Naruto had the strangest habit of being able to relate to an awful lot of people and their sob-stories. It was kind of annoying sometimes really. One day one of those people is being to wind up being an extremely good actor and Naruto will have put himself in danger. Kiba was safe – he was on the cautious side when it came to things like that.

Shrugging, Kankuro glanced around the shop as he moved towards the Inuzuka boy "not really," he said, looking over the flowers from where he stood beside Kiba. The boy still held his pruning shears in a firm, but non-threatening grasp "I wanted to see you before we left." He explained lightly "We haven't had the time to see you since we found you." He paused for a moment "Lets walk." He said, moving towards the door.

Nodding Kiba put his shears down and began moving towards the door only to stop and look back at the Yamanaka girl "I'll be back soon, Ino." He said smiling a little at the girl when she turned to look at him with a smile of her own and an understanding nod.

"Fine," She said, in a faux-huffy tone "Do whatever you want. Take your time." Her last words were said softly. She was glad that Kiba was beginning to feel comfortable enough around the village to walk around freely, without locking himself up in his home for hours. It seemed he was getting back to being his old self. Slowly, but surely. He could still be a little shaky from time to time, but he had started eating properly again, which was always a good thing.

* * *

For the longest time, the pair walked in silence. Neither knew what to day, and certainly, Kiba knew Kankuro would be full of questions. They might have been friends, but they rarely spoke. Was it really his place to intrude? Did he want to pry? Did he need to? Maybe if he waited long enough Kiba would tell him what had gone.

"Thank you." The Inuzuka said after a pause "For finding me and bringing me home..." he finished, his voice trailing off as he looked off to the side. He didn't know quite how to face this situation either, but he knew he owed it to Kankuro. Not just him, but Temari and Kazekage Gaara, as well. He could only hope they would keep that to themselves. "I know you want to know what that was all about, but..."

Kankuro tried to interrupt "Kiba-"

"Give me time." Kiba cut across. He would be brave and he _would_ face this. "Give me a little while and I'll tell you." He said, in a tone that spelt 'promise'. "I'm really only just getting used to the whole thing myself..."

"All right." Kankuro responded, nodding in understanding. Unlike Kiba, Kankuro was not a hot-head. He did, in fact have the analytical brain and skill required to become a successful Puppet Master. He still had a lot of work to do, but he was one of the best in his field in Sunagakure. In order to deal a deadly strike to your enemy, you can not let your emotions get the better of you. Kankuro knew that – especially since the day Gaara had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki. Akasuna no Sasori had known that at the time, and it was much too late for Kankuro. Sasori was able to take advantage of Kankuro's carelessness. "But answer me one thing..." He asked the other quietly, turning his head to look at the other out of the corner of his eye.

"What?" the Inuzuka asked, although somehow he knew he'd regret it.

There was a long pause before anything was said, and Kankuro turned his eyes back to the road ahead of them, making sure not to bump into passers by as the pair of them walked "Why were you dressed in an Akatsuki cloak?"

Kiba's foot-steps faltered, but he soon picked up his rhythm again, once again moving to walk beside the puppet master as they made their way down the street towards an as yet undetermined location. "I'm not sure..." Kiba was very much aware that the people of the village did not think much of his disappearing and, and he himself had been the subject of quite a bit of abuse from those who thought him less than honourable. Verbal abuse, that is. Kiba was always in the company of one of his friends, and they were more than glad to step into the firing line if things got a little out of hand. Kiba couldn't help but shrug a little helplessly when Kankuro gave the Inuzuka a questioning look "Maybe it was a cold night, I dunno. My shirt was getting kind of tight..."

"Wait, wait." Kankuro protested, looking somewhat of a mixture between angry and confused "You're telling me members of Akatsuki – the ones who tried to kill Gaara, poison me, and killed Chiyo-baa-sama" he paused, giving Kiba a pointed look, to which the Inuzuka looked away "are capable of kindness?"

The Inuzuka wanted to say that yes, in his time with them, some of them certainly were nice, even if it was not the intention. If they were bad people then some of them didn't display it outwardly. Itachi was quiet, and now that he thought about it, it had been quite funny to see the man look kind of offended when Kiba wouldn't eat his food. From what he could gather, Hidan was a hot-head, but he was surprisingly non-violent, although it was more then obvious he had the capacity to be. Maybe it was just when Hidan was fighting that he became really dangerous. The blue-haired woman – Konan, if Kiba remembered correctly, had been patient, perhaps a bit distant, but then, you were never meant to get close to your prisoners, were you? So, unable to think of something positive to say about the matter, Kiba merely shrugged and mumbled "...I guess not, but..." he paused "well, it could've been to make a statement, but then...that begs the question of what the statement meant."

"Yeah." Kankuro muttered, a severe frown marring his strong features "You'd better take it up with the Hokage," Kankuro said simply "I-" hesitation "that is, Suna, will be glad to help with anything if you need it, so don't worry. We take the Akatsuki very seriously."

The Inuzuka scoffed, and grinned a little "who doesn't?"

"Touché" Kankuro countered with a smirk of his own.

"So did you need me for anything in particular, or-"

"K-Kiba-kun!" a voice sounded from ahead of them. Both boys looked up to see Hinata running towards them, her long hair sway from side to side as she ran. For the most part, all three ninjas ignored the few people who had begun to whisper quietly upon hearing the Inuzuka's name.

"Hinata," Kiba greeted the girl with an easy smile as she came to a stop in front of him, panting softly for a few moment to catch her breath "I haven't seen you around lately."

The girl blushed slightly and smiled softly before replying "G-gomen, I've only just come back from a mission," she said softly "Kenshi and I just f-finished a briefing with Tsunade-sama," she explained "S-she told me to find you."

At that the Inuzuka frowned and exchanged a brief glance with Kankuro before once more turning his attention to Hinata "What about?"

"S-she w-wanted to see you in the hospital," she explained "f-for a check-up.."

At that Kiba's smile dropped and he paled slightly. He shook his head resolutely "Nope."

"But, K-Kiba-" Hinata tried to protest.

"Nope." Kiba said pointedly "I still hate hospitals, always have and always will and I'm not going."

With a sigh, the puppeteer finally spoke up "just go," He said pointedly, somewhat unimpressed "the sooner you go, the sooner it's over with and the sooner you won't have to deal with it." He paused and took hold of Kiba's shoulder, firmly put gently "Do you need me to hold your hand or something?" He asked with a raised brow and a teasing smile.

The Inuzuka just narrowed his eyes at the puppet master and turned, parking his butt pointedly on a nearby bench, a hand subconsciously moving to support his stomach "Fuck. Off." He ground out, quite obviously not in the mood for games.

Scoffing Kankuro sighed and shook his head "From what I hear, this'd be a different story if Shino were around."

Kiba tensed up immediately "Don't talk about Shino!" he piped out agitatedly. He missed the other brunette terribly and had been feeling quite guilty since he'd come to know that the Aburame was out there searching for him. Although, Shibi had promised the Inuzuka that his team-mate would be home soon. However, it appeared that 'soon' meant it'd take more than a week, and with each passing day, Kiba was getting more and more anxious to see his friend again.

Somewhat alarmed at the outburst Kankuro was quick to raise his hands in a gesture of surrounded "Okay, okay. Fine." A Pause "Jeez." He sighed once more and then but his hands on his hips for a moment thoughtful "But seriously Kiba, you should probably go."

"I-I'll c-come with you..." Hinata said with a soft smile. She was one of the ones who had had the most time to come to terms with Kiba's pregnancy – yet, she still had some problems with the thought of the child's father.

For a long moment, Kiba was silent, before acquiescing to Hinata's request and standing. He meandered slowly to her side and waved a hand at Kankuro "fine, fine. I'll go." He said with a frown. He wasn't happy about it, but Kankuro was right. It was better to get it over and done with. 

* * *

The Hospital was having what could only be considered a quiet day. People only seemed to come in with a broken bone at the worst and a scrape or a cut in the least. There were no emergencies. No life-threatening conditions and no coma patients waking up. Honestly, it was a relief to the Hokage. Since Kiba's sudden reappearance she had been too busy to find the boy and talk to him. She needed to know everything that had happened whilst he was away, although having heard what Shizune had to say after the woman had treated the boy, it had not been pretty. Inuzuka Kiba, however, was making a fine recovery. She had expected Kiba to sustain more prominent injuries, just as it stood, most of his torment had apparently been mental and not physical. It seemed it had been for the best. Kiba, like Naruto, was nothing if not headstrong.

She often tried very hard not to place those two together on the same team.

The knock at her office door disrupted the enjoyable silence. Yet, Tsunade found that she welcomed the interruption. Anything to get out of doing paperwork. She stood and placed the pen she had been using on top of the paperwork she had been laboriously working through and turned to face the door. "Come in." She called in her usual stern voice. In an instant she was invited to the view of the Inuzuka she had just been thinking about coming into the room "Ah." She said with a small smile, gesturing to the examination table in the corner of the room "take a seat." He offered, although it was more of an order, even to her own ears.

Inuzuka Kiba was still unhappy and he was still unsmiling. From the doorway, Hinata was visible as she seated herself down in a chair outside of the office. It was clear she was going to wait until Kiba was done with his meeting before she even thought about leaving. Giving the girl a small wave, Kiba closed the door behind him and moved to take a seat on the examination table, his hands placed awkwardly on the table either side of him. He did not want to be there.

Without another word, Tsunade made her way up the the boy and stated "Lie down and lift your shirt for me, Kiba." She ordered softly. She may have been curt, but her bedside manner wasn't completely atrocious.

Kiba looked simply indignant "But-"

"Do it." She bite out sternly.

"Look, no offence, but is there really any point to this?" the Inuzuka bite out, defensively moving to tug at his shirt, pulling it down pointedly. It was embarrassing for Kiba – He was getting bigger all the time and for whatever reason, after the first few times of borrowing Chouji's old clothes, he was ashamed to admit to needing to go out and buying some of his own. Chouji let him keep the clothes he borrowed though. Which was nice of the guy, he supposed. "It's pretty obvious everything's okay." He groused, and then gestured to his stomach "after all, it seems to be growing fine."

"Yes, that's exactly why I wanted to see you." Tsunade stated breezily, ignoring the boy's protests.

"I mean-" a pause "what?"

Sighing, Tsunade placed her hands on her hips and leant heavily to one side "Your baby looks like it's growing spectacularly." She stated, and upon receiving a confused stare, the Hokage elaborated "in fact, too well." she finished.

_Oh, god._ Kiba thought tiredly to himself. _Something else **would** have to be fucked up at this stage._ Ever since he'd been returned to the Village, Kiba had come to terms with the child's existence, that much was true, and had even managed to own up the facts; that he was going to have a child and also that Deidara happened to be the aforementioned child's father. He didn't particularly like the facts, but they were there – and they were being as obnoxious and overbearing as facts could be. So, as Kiba sat, watching the Hokage as she spoke, he couldn't help but think about how much time he'd spent hating hospitals,and lately, all they'd been doing is helping him. Kiba decided that he hated _that_ even more. The fact that the hospital walls were a pleasant white, and even in some places a nice creamy sort of yellow (again, something he hated) and the fact that the whole place smelt like disinfectant and soap – the combination of which played havoc with Kiba's nose – didn't matter. Suffice it to say that Kiba had, somehow, come to realise how childish his hatred for hospitals was, yet, that didn't seem to stop him hating them all the time.

"So," the blonde elder woman continued, oblivious to Kiba's train of thought "I just need to check the child's development and see what's going on." Then she paused and tilted her head, looking thoughtful "I mean, there is a possibility of Twins if you're that big." She muttered.

And, it was with those words, that Kiba had come to an abrupt realisation.

He had grown up.

**((A/N: Right, well. After a billion or so years I've FINALLY posted! I'm so sorry I kept you all waiting or even if I've lost some of you because of it! I really am. I can only say that over the past few years, life and what happened in it suddenly became important. But now, the Important bit is over with, and I have some free time again!**

**I really hope you just enjoy this chapter, and that it was at least worth the wait a little bit.**

**I deserve no cookies. But forgive me if you can find it in your hearts to do so? *hopeful stare*))**


	34. My Danna

**Author's note**: I intended this to be ready much sooner than it actually was. I know I promised a few of you I would hurry it up...heh. Sorry.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto, if I did Naruto would have a lot less screen time, to make room for all the other characters that need development.

**Beautiful Liar**;

**Chapter thirty-four**: My Danna.

The ticking of the clock sounded obnoxiously with every passing second, filling the room with noise Kiba's nerves could have done without. He felt himself tensing at the minutes went by and Tsunade said nothing as he hands trailed over the exposed skin of his stomach. It was true, his stomach was a little more pronounced than it should have been at this stage, but Tsunade had explained that sometimes...that sort of thing happened. After all, some women could go through pregnancy without displaying any symptoms whatsoever.

"Well..." Tsunade said, more to herself than Kiba, judging by the way her eyes were still fixed upon his stomach. He felt the warmth of her Chakra as he lay on his back, waiting for her to be finished with his check-up. He still wasn't any happier about being at the hospital, but at least, he thought, he wouldn't be forced to stay this time. Come to think of it, when this was over, Kiba was going to smack Kankuro for that jab about Shino.

Sure, if Shino had been around he probably _would_ have simply carried Kiba bodily towards the Hospital with an apology and a word of warning. But that didn't mean that Kankuro had to _rub it in._ Sometimes, he wondered why he was even friends with the puppet master "Well?" He pressed, for lack of anything better to do. Besides, his growing anxiety was doing nothing to calm his fears about being locked in hospital again, or even that something was wrong with the child.

"Your baby-"

"It's not _mine_."

"The baby," Tsunade snapped at last, frowning slightly in annoyance as she finally stood up straight, allowing an equally irate Inuzuka to sit up and pull his shirt up over his slightly perturbing stomach "Is growing just fine." said offered, causing Kiba to raise a brow.

"Is that it?" He asked, having thought by her um-ing and ah-ing through the brief examination that he was in for something more serious.

Nodding, shifted her weight from one side to the other, resting a hand on her hip "I thought that you were growing too quickly for your development to be normal" She started, holding up a hand when Kiba tried to interject with an undoubtedly unhelpful exclamation "But you're not." She stated pointedly "So I thought I would check for twins."

For several moments, silence filled the room, and Tsunade watched as the colour drained from Kiba's face at the very thought. No doubt, carrying the child of ones rapist was a difficult thought to deal with, but to potentially be carrying two?

The thought was petrifying.

The hidden Rain village was, as usual, miserable. It was raining...as usual. Yet, it seemed today that the sky was forlorn enough to forgo even the clap of thunder, let alone brighten the sky with bolts of Lightening. However, it was not the village that was of interest, but instead the outskirts of the village, and the tree-line that formed at the edge of the clearing that surrounded the village.

Out there, in the rain and the woods, sat a man in a tree. A blond man with one eye covered with wavy locks and donned in a black cloaked, adorned with red clouds. Above said blond sat a large clay bird, its wings out-stretched to shelter the man from the rain., and below him, directly beneath the branch upon which he sat, was a grave.

This grave was marked only by the slightly raised ground and a clay slab, propped up against the tree with its lower half securely buried beneath the earth to keep it from toppling over when strong winds hit the clearing...not that the shear weight of the thing wouldn't stop that...it was just easier for Deidara to talk all the precautions he could.

There was no writing on the slab, save for:

_Akasuna-no-Sasori_

The blond had thought long and hard about adding the words 'My Danna' to the inscription, before the thought of Sasori calling it sentimental rubbish caused the blond to leave the space below the name blank.

A boring grave for a boring, tasteless man. Deidara had always thought his art was superior, but did Sasori really have to go and prove the blond right by dying the way he did? He could have at least stayed alive long enough to make his own headstone...the ass. That way he could even be _perfect_ in death...not that Sasori ever believed he was ever going to die...which Deidara supposed, would stop anyone from making a tombstone of their own.

There was nothing spectacular about Sasori now he was six feet underground, and not even really decomposing the way a normal body would. After the Konoha Ninja's had left with the Sand-nin, Deidara had returned to the Akatsuki's cave wherein they had extracted the Ichibi...only to find nothing but rubble and piles upon piles of lifeless puppets. It had taken no time at all for Deidara to find the last traces of Sasori's 'body'. It was pinned to the wall, and it had taken some time for the blond to pull it free from the contraption that held it there. He had been unaware, at the time, the Kankuro had taken Sasori's other body as well as that of his Mother and Father puppets.

So, there Sasori lay, beneath several feet of dust, nothing but quite literally a shell of his former self. Sasori wouldn't have liked it, but his _death_ had been immortalising in a way, just not the way he had hoped...to live, through his art.

In a way, Sasori had gone out with the _bang_ that Deidara was so desperate himself to achieve. Of course, he wasn't suicidal, he just hadn't found the right moment in which to use his greatest artistic development.

This tree...this place of mourning, was also a place of reflection, and where two artistic minds had made a kind of connection, seen a certain understanding of one another that neither would admit to. This was the place where partners had become...friends. That was why Deidara had gone to such effort to retrieve and bury Sasori, even if everyone in the organisation thought it pointless. It didn't matter to Deidara what any of them thought. But he knew that most of them thought he had lost it a little bit when the red-head had died. His kidnapping of Kiba and his subsequent release was testament enough to that, in their minds.

_It had been several hours since the group had established that Kiba was, in fact, pregnant. Pein-sama had stared sceptically at the Inuzuka, taking in the seriousness in his eyes and the firm set of his jaw, teeth bared. For a moment, Pein could see the charm Deidara might have found in that slightly feral-looking face. Far be it for Pein to judge, but 'wild' wasn't quite his cup of tea. No, Pein enjoyed the type of man he could no longer be. Of course, none of those emotions rolled across the Akatsuki leader's face as he stared at the blond and the brunette before him. It had been so odd to see Deidara turn, and block his path to the boy before him, arms out-stretched, acting as a human shield upon hearing his command._

_Even Kiba looked bewildered. _

"_Move." Pein demanded, his tone full of dark authority._

"_No." Deidara retorted in indignant defiance. _

_There was movement behind Pein that for a moment captured Deidara's attention. "The hell'd we miss?" Hidan piped up, panting slightly from his place in the doorway._

"___You can't kill it, yeah. I won't let you. It's...just some dumbass kid.__" Deidara said at last, ignoring Hidan's interruption. They had begun to attract quite a crowd, and most of the Akatsuki was present to witness this...bizarre exchange._

_Pein, it seemed, was resisting the urge to frown "the Inuzuka has proven to be of little use to us."_

"_Right." Deidara agreed pointedly "so just let the little freak go."_

"_I would rather have him killed." Pein stated bluntly, unamused by this display of insubordination. "Move."_

_For a brief moment, it seemed like Deidara was going to back down and step away, when he turned to eye the brunette over his shoulder. Kiba was smaller than him, weaker and feeble, but he wasn't cowering the way the blond had expected him to be at the thought of his imminent demise. His form was tense, ready to pounce, despite knowing that he was in no condition to fight anyone, let alone a room full of S-rank Shinobi. There was a strange kind of resolve in Kiba's eyes that Deidara could not place...but only for a moment. He soon realised, that for whatever reason, Kiba was acting on his instincts to protect his young, and that...Deidara was doing the same. He didn't exactly believe it to be true...but then again, Kiba had been asking Hidan for a bigger shirt...or so he had heard._

"_Look," Deidara said "I don't fuckin' want it but that's my baby." Deidara said seriously, turning his full attention back upon his leader "I'll personally make sure that Kiba gets home safe...and that he won't be able to trace us back to base." Which thankfully Kiba had seen very little of. The drank smell of the caves blocked any other, fresher smells, from filtering in from the outside. "And then I'll come back and I promise I won't go AWOL."_

_Yes, Deidara had gotten into quite a bit of trouble for his 'artistic clay Ninjas', which it seemed, had been the devise that enabled Deidara to get his hands on the young Inuzuka. Pein narrowed his eyes. It was a childish promise to make, given how old Deidara was, but it was hard to get the blond to agree to anything he disagreed with without coercion. Deidara had gone missing one too many times for it to be entirely acceptable to the Leader of the Akatsuki. After all, should there be a crisis, what happens if Deidara is exactly the person they need to solve it? The disappearing acts __had to stop._

"_Fine." He snapped in agreement at last, after a length, painful silence "But I do not wish to set eyes upon him again." He told Deidara "Or I _will_ kill him." This sort of behaviour is exactly why ninjas should forgo the thought and act of breeding._

A shout broke Deidara from his reverie, and he scowled warningly in the direction from which the voice had come "Tobi!" the blond growled, being his usual, spectacularly unfriendly self. "What the fuck have I told you, yeah?!"

From his place at the base of the Tree, Tobi looked up at his sepai, a hand on his head as he laughed nervously "Not to come here?"

Deidara nodded slowly, "And what have you done?" He asked, tone blatantly condescending.

"...the opposite?"

"And what are you going to do now?"

"Leave?" Tobi replied, his tone small, but he remained rooted to the spot.

Realising of course, that Tobi was not planning on moving, the moderately pleased look on Deidara's face fell and he was once again scowling "So?"

"Well, I was just thinking Senpai.."

"Sounds dangerous." Deidara retorted impatiently, his hand reaching into his pocket, frowning as he pulled clay from its depths and slowly began to mould the clay wining the palm of one hand.

Tobi jumped on the spot, perhaps fighting the urge to say what he was undoubtedly about to say. But, like most things when it came to Tobi...it didn't work out quite as he had planned "I just think you should stop crying over Sasori-san like some kind of pansy!"

"I was right." Deidara concluded pointedly as he released a small clay bird from his palm and sent it after Tobi with every intention of blowing the little shit sky-high.

"No..!" Tobi protested as he turned on his heels, hastily making his way back to the village, arms flailing wildly in that bizarre fashion that he had "I'm sorry, Danna~!" The ebony-haired man wailed, his voice getting smaller and smaller until it could no longer be heard.

Then, when his partner was little more than the size of his thumbnail from where he was in the distance, Deidara raised his hand and shouted out a very deliberate "Katsu!" Only to be disappointed to find that he had, in fact, somehow missed the odd-ball ninja.

Deidara hated to be interrupted here.

This was his spot, the place he shared with Sasori and Sasori alone.

_Of course, it wasn't long after that that Kiba found himself in a clearing with Tobi's hand on his shoulder and Deidara preparing a clay bird. "Don't worry about it~" Tobi was saying, his tone as gratingly cheerful as ever on Deidara's ears "We'll get you home nice and safe and I'll make sure you don't fall off the bird!" Tobi babbled, Kiba listening only to placate the man who seemed...a little to nice to be a criminal. Maybe...he was insane? Kiba wouldn't have put it past Akatsuki to employ the mentally unstable._

_Deidara kept to himself as Tobi spoke, entertaining Kiba with his nonsense, and the occasionally inappropriate remark about the baby growing inside him. It was times like that that Kiba, Deidara was sure, judging from the reactions he could see from the corner of his eye, that Kiba fought the hardest to keep himself from hurting the ninja whose face was hidden behind that retarded orange mask._

___Deidara rounded on the pair of them "Do it" he growled._

With that said, Tobi positioned two fingers as the base of Kiba's neck, even before he younger male had a chance to open his mouth. His vision blurred and his knee's gave way and his mind fell into unconsciousness as Tobi reached out and caught him.

Then of course, Tobi moved to hoist the Inuzuka up onto the bird's back, ahead of Deidara, who was taking a moment to double check supplies as Tobi settled both himself and the other male down.

It was only when Deidara was settled and in the air that he turned to look at the pair behind him. He wasn't very fond of carrying passengers, since they slowed him down, but he knew it was the easiest way to travel. It would be at least an hour before Deidara enough registered the chill in his bones, and turned to look at the pair, Tobi holding an obviously freezing Kiba close. Deidara wanted to curse, not because he was allowing the...mother? _Carrier____ of his child to freeze, but because of what he did to combat the fact._

Shifting, Deidara moved, yanking off his cloak and turning around so that he could pull Kiba's limp form from Tobi's grasp "Don't say a word." The blond snapped as he set about struggling to get the cloak on the Inuzuka. Wisely, Tobi said nothing.

At least not until after they had set back on the journey home after dumping Kiba in the woods nearby his precious village.  
_**  
((A/N: So...the long away and hopefully not-too-disappointing chapter has finally arrived. I know I promised this to a number of you "soon" but soon often turns into "later" when you suck at life.**_

I hope you enjoyed it! Forgive me!))


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